MUSIC VIDEO

CD COVER AND POSTER

MAGAZINE ADVERTISEMENT


CD FRONT COVER

INSIDE COVER


CD SIDE


CD BACK COVER

EVALUATION

INFLUENCED FRONT AND BACK OF CD COVER


INFLUENCED THE SETTING FOR OUR VIDEO (FILM NOIR)


INFLUENCED THE RADIENT COLOURS FOR OUR CD COVER



INFLUENCED THE TYPE OF CHARCTERS AND COSTUMES



EXAMPLES OF THE ABOVE INFLUENCES IN OUR VIDEO : This slideshow shows key references to the above pictures and shows the original idea for our CD cover and Poster which we later changed to the current CD cover because of the colours not running insync with the theme of our music video.

Screenshots

View more presentations from guest6efa52b.

Film noir ,french and british new wave

View more presentations from guest57477f.

BRITISH NEW WAVE
INFLUENCED EVA'S SOLO IN THE GRAVEYARD

THE PIERCES
SIMILAR TO THE CLOSE RELATIONSHIP OF THE TWO MAIN CHARACTERS

FRENCH NEW WAVE
INFLUENCED RUNNING SHOT OF TWO CHARACTERS IN THE FOREST

MUSIC VIDEO EVALUATION:


1.In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms or conventions of real media products?

• My music video appeals to a niche target audience, through the use of innovative editing techniques e.g. cross zoom and dip to black to show scene transitions. This provides my video with a unique flare which would therefore attract members of my target audience who enjoy unusual media products.

• My music media product is largely influenced by the film noir genre demonstrated through sections of the video captured in black and white and the convention of two main female characters of the French New Wave genre. Aspects of the new wave film genre are demonstrated through the controversial topic of homosexuality as there is a hint that the two women may share an intimate relationship.

• Our music video tends to subvert dominant ideologies e.g. there is a level of ambiguity as to whether the characters are heterosexual or homosexual, possibly resulting in mainstream audience members shying away from the media product.

• Conventionally our video includes a narrative with an overall message, based on the theme of betrayal. Using cinema verite a convention of both British and French New Wave cinema of the 1950’s and 1960’s we are able to achieve a sense of realism within the video, making our audience feel involved in the occurring events that take place. The handheld camerawork and the speeded up footage connotes the individuality and uniqueness associated with such French filmmakers as Jean-Luc Godard and Francis Traffaut, our video uses a lot of cinematic techniques and film language to communicate themes/ideas to its audience. An example of this is the reoccurring motif of circles /rings e.g. The London Eye and the ringed ripples in the pond which suggests an unbroken friendship though it seems to be on the verge of breaking up, this is demonstrated through the close up of the ripping of the picture by the lead singer (Eva) in the final scene of the video.

• Our video tends to be drawn from various influences including film/cinema productions rather than music videos though my music video yet incorporating the basic conventions of music videos so our audience are still able to recognise it is a music video instead of a short film. Using the conventions of mainstream and niche music videos we have considered the needs of our niche target audience and use styles such as handheld camera conventional of French New Wave film as a unique selling point interesting our target audience as they would identify with the stylistic references.

• According to Todorov’s theory my video clearly challenges his idea of having an equilibrium, disruption, resolution and equilibrium restored to produce a clear resolution. My video begins with an equilibrium followed by a problem and ends ambiguously as the problem isn’t resolved.

• Predominantly narrative based, my media product appeals to a niche audience by subverting the conventions of mainstream media products and including an ambiguous ending conventional of niche media products e.g. rock and roll videos. Whereas mainstream media products would usually follow Todorov’s narrative theory and the majority of the video would be performance based highlighting my music video as a niche product.

• The majority of my music video is shot using cinema veritē to promote a sense of realism towards the audience. This enables them to be drawn into the various events within the video allowing them to identify with the characters. Also challenging mainstream media products it is suggested the two main characters split up in a dramatic fast forward ending. This negative ending effectively subverts conventions of mainstream real media products and follows the conventions of alternative /niche media products to make the video seem more European.

• Using conventional film language to express ideas to the audience such as the use of black and white editing to indicate flashbacks, helps highlight the unique style of the video and using colour tints in scenes to communicate specific emotions e.g. use of semiotics (the study of signs) red is symbolic of rage is also helps promote the unconventional style of the video. This ultimately helps appeal to my target audience by attracting them with innovative editing styles.

• Variety of locations used when filming my media product demonstrates how conventional it is of real media products as music videos like Goldie’s ‘ Inner City Life’ uses a range of shots including a Urban landscape , the inside and outside of a flat, club and industrial buildings to establish the setting and create a urban mood to the video. My music video is of the alternative music genre category, therefore tends to challenge the conventions of most mainstream real media products unlike Goldie’s ‘Inner City Life’.

• Subversively my music video includes a niche aspect, through the use of slow and fast motion in one scene .It also has an element of ambiguity conventional of European Cinema, the main characters method of revenge after being betrayed by her best friend is depicted as lacking a clear ending though is suggested their friendship is over.

• From a polysemic reading point of view it is suggested she killed her best friend, this is connoted through the graveyard setting and the throwing of the ring into the pond. An alternative polysemic reading is the sexuality of the characters which we found was the topic of discussion once our video was viewed by our focus group which included members of our target audience.

2. How effective is the combination of your main product and ancillary text?




• My CD cover and poster helps to promote the theme of betrayal between the two females, connoted through the black and dark pink/red colours of their clothing which matches the typography and background of both the front and back of the CD cover. These colours were use to portray the death of the friendship hence the use of the colour black. the red colour was use to connote love and femininity via the use of the dark pink/red colour and was use to indicate that this product has a feminine mode of address to attract female niche audience members.

• These colours help promote the brand identity of our product as they are bold and feature in both the poster for the CD and the CD cover itself. The brand identity of all three products all follow the trend of conveying the idea of love and death this is to convey the close relationship between the two characters and the theme of betrayal that runs throughout the video. The poster shows the two hugging each other in a mid-angle shot and the video depicts the two in many scenes conversating (laughing and chuckling), seen in a few scenes linked arm in arm and genuinely enjoying each other’s company .This increases the impact of the main character being betrayed so the audience can sympathise with her.

• The CD cover on the other hand, shows the two looking over their shoulders at each other which would catch the audience’s eye as it creates an intense atmosphere between the two. Their facial expressions displaying looks of disgust would entice our audience to want to buy the product to find out the story resulting in their break up.

• The composition of the main characters on the CD cover conveys the intense mood of the video as they face each other with deranged facial expressions emphasizing their hatred towards each other, making the tension between the two evident adding to the impact of the betrayal.

• All media products combined provide an effective media product, with all incorporated the theme of anger and vengeance is highlighted and appeals to the morbid fascinations of my target audience.

• By subverting the conventions of mainstream media products e.g. ambiguous ending ,we created a niche unique selling point to appeal to my target audience by drawing them into the video by making them want to know what the secret is and how the story ends.

• By conventionally following the techniques used when creating a music video e.g. performance shots ,this allowed the audience to recognise it is a music video and not a short story though it is unconventionally a story based music video.

• Both products tend to appeal to my target audience in similar ways . As the music video builds the story behind the CD cover and the poster, the colour scheme of the poster and CD cover run insync with portraying the theme of betrayal/revenge between the two women.

3. What have you learned from your audience feedback?

• From my audience feedback I have learned that my media product successfully follows the conventions of the niche genre as it was described as an “innovative piece of creativity” and “unique”. Taking into consideration I researched the views of both mainstream and niche audience members, I learned how the two different audiences interpreted specific aspects of the video e.g. the hint that the two main characters maybe homosexual was because of the ambiguity surrounding their relationship.

• The idea of The London eye was favoured amongst both focus groups as it is a location they can identify with ,teaching us that famous landmarks work exceptionally well when identifying and associating with my target audience 16-25 year olds.

• The editing technique of ‘dip to black’ was slightly overwhelming and made the video seem “long” and “drawn out” as commented by an audience member. This taught me to adopt new techniques in portraying a scene change and use more of a variety of editing techniques to signify these scene changes.

• Another, and very popular criticism was the idea that the two main characters were homosexual, the mainstream heterosexual audience members seemed very sceptical about the idea that this could be a “lesbian love story”. However, it was taken more light-heartedly by the women in the niche audience focus group ,as they saw it as an “interesting expression of love” between the two women.

• Mainstream audience members found the hints of homosexuality difficult to relate to, however, the idea of betrayal they seemed to identify with. This taught me that I needed to adopt a more subtle strategy when addressing the relationship between the two female main characters and I need to portray them in a maybe a more detached manner as the closeness between the two can be misconceived .

• Researching members from my niche target audience they saw the video as “a brilliantly conformed piece” and described the sense of the two women being homosexual as simply just a “close relationship” rather than an intimate one. However the male members of the niche audience found the women relationship “a little too close” informing us that we should “tone down” the intensity of the main singer’s retaliation to the betrayal.

• Overall both audiences agreed that the video was “wicked”, “very interesting” and “very entertaining” , the majority of them highly favoured the fast forwarding at the end and the text on the black background that introduced the video at the beginning and closed the video at the end.



4.How did the use of new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stage.

• Research was conducted using questionnaires which offered a sound idea of what their preference in music was and the ways in which they feel I can effectively advertise my work. The focus group helped me gather the precise opinions of my target audience and key expressions to refer to in my evaluation e.g. ‘innovative’ and ‘unique’, which we then noted and use when developing our product, effectively improving the quality of our research.

• Planning the video involved creating a video diary where we listed all the production events taking place and any advancements made in the music video e.g. when, where and what times to meet up and film specific scenes at a variety of locations .

• Using a storyboard we sketched the foundation scenes of the video storyline. This helped us when filming so we knew what scenes we had to do as we went along , this storyboard was then scanned onto our blogs via the internet demonstrating thorough planning.

• For our preliminary task we use Adobe Premiere making a short film which helped us experience the difficulties that may arise when using the programme and helped developed my filming skills as I practiced using a range of shot sizes from close ups to wide shots. This task also helped develop my editing skills in cutting and reordering footage and putting in place relevant editing effects e.g. dip to black or cross zoom. This substantially contributed to the outcome of our final music video as with the practice gained from the preliminary task we were able to overcome problems with screen composition and time remapping when working on our music video on the Adobe Premiere program.

• During the planning stage we used new media technologies e.g. video camera and Adobe Premier Pro which made us familiar with the programmes which helped making the final music video easier. Via the internet we were able to upload information onto our blogs to improve the quality of our evidence for planning and evaluation. We also embedded ‘Youtube’ links onto our blog essays to strengthen the quality and precision of our planning and research documentation.

• During the evaluation stage we use new media technologies e.g. Slide Share and blog comments to improve and enhance the clarity of our media product. Noting the responses from our focus group in notebooks, we effectively demonstrated thorough audience research and allowed easily accessible evidence of criticisms which we could refer to when producing our final media product. All in all this contributed to the completion of our music video, poster and CD cover as well as helping to improve the quality and clarity of our planning and research as a whole.

Editing Adjustmets

Presentation1

View more presentations from guest6efa52b.

Diary account of work in progress

Wednesday 27th January 2010:

• Began to edit first scene and found it worked well with the introduction of the song.
• Imported song onto adobe premiere pro CS3 programme via audio track setting.
• Edited graveyard scene and found it didnt run insync with the song so will have to reshoot it on Friday 29th January 2010.

Thursday 28th January 2010:

• Began to experiment with different editing techniques e.g. dissolves an d fades i and outs using the technique appropriate for the video which was fading in and out.

Wednesday 3rd February 2010

• Imported footage captured on Friday 29th 2010. use different techniques to create black and white colouring of video.
• Imported song on to programme
• Re-arranged sections of the video to fit -in with the audio track.

TEACHERS COMMENTS

Kamika, well done for adding some diary styled accounts of work in progress. I like the range of performer and location shots you have included. You now need to add brief notes to outline what each photo shows (I can see that you have some after all of the photos). Your textual analysis examples are well considered and show good research into similar texts. It would be good if you could add a Youtube link for each text. In addition you should work through the Blog checklist given to get up to speed with other tasks i.e. screen shots of editing work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsRyyZZFGZ4

Written analysis: Snoop Dogg video ‘Sensual Seduction’

Hip – hop / rap artist Snoop Doggs’s video ‘Sensual Seduction’ features an 80’s style theme with a post-feminist representation of women dressed as dominatrix’s of every kind from police women to stereotypical woman in full PVC outfits , covered from head-to– toe in tight plastic or leather. The video is a performance based video about the ways in which the lead singer (Snoop Dogg) pleasures women as his lyrics state ‘she gone get hers before I get mine’ showing a close-up of his mouth which is a sexual innuendo (referencing oral sex), he explains how he seduces women as he states ‘she might be with him but she’s thinking of me’ and glorifies the stereotype of black males being womanisers-he references himself as a ‘playa’.

Men are represented as stereotypically being more dominant than women as Snoop Dogg is standing over the women serenading what he wants to do to her as well as being filmed surrounded by women in a high-angle shot which emphasises his dominance over the opposite sex. He sings ‘all that we ever do is play in the sheets’ portraying that women are seen as sex-objects -or ‘freaks’ as he refers to them in his lyrics -in revealing clothes and positioned in suggestive positions which are a conventional representation of women according to the hip-hop genre. Women are seen as subordinate to men in mostly low-angle shots,objectified as they seen to be moving like animals e.g. crawling across the floor ,biting there fingers in a playful manner and caressing objects around them (feline characteristics) which is use as a pleasing spectacle for the male members of the audience, however, the dominatrix in one scene seems to look independent, strong but sexy in an open leg-stance dancing in smooth seductive motions , position in a mid-shot with a expressionless facial expression on her face which may indicate this is Snoop Dogg main ‘chick’ or female in the video.

The video only including one man Snoop Dogg and the rest of the casts being women presents him in a position of authority as it symbolises him as being a women magnet , irresistible to women because of the way he ‘sensually seduces’ them. Women in the video aren’t seen as respectable or pure they resemble prostitutes confirming they way women are seen in the world of hip-hop and rap but subverts the realistic image of women in society now-a-days. Men are also seen to confirm the stereotype of black men being sexually pleasing to women and subvert the idea of women being objects of pleasure as the main male character is seen to be the one pleasuring the women rather than the women just pleasuring him.

The 80’s theme reinforces a decade of high sexual activity and encourages the glamorisation of men being pimps. Snoop Dogg’s eccentric 80’s fashion of flared metallic trousers tight in the groin area to highlight his manhood (suggesting he has a high sex drive ), big shades and the mise-en-scene of the disco ball, diamond in the background, the seductive smoky atmosphere effect, mirrored double-vision of women and 80’s style guitar indicates his music and fashion sense supposedly make him appeal to women .The mise-en –scene of the star graphics also highlight his sexual abilities to symbolically takes women ‘to the stars in bed’ at the same time, he celebrates his masculinity whilst he poses with the women in the stars as they caress and stroke indicating that his methods of ‘seduction’ are effective, ultimately making reference to the stereotype black men are ‘good’ in bed and can pleasure women in ways men of other cultures cannot. The video features intertextual references of the character Huggy Bear who was a stereotypical Blackman who was a pimp and drug dealer from box-office hit film Starkey and Hutch and reference Robert Palmer addicted to love music video with women dancing in sync and wearing the same clothes.