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

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Film noir ,french and british new wave

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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

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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.

The ‘Thriller ‘ video by Michael Jackson uses generic codes which follow the conventions of the pop video genre . These include typical boy meets girl storyline -they go on a series of dates and eventually fall in love. Unconventionally this video ‘Thriller’ video incorporates a film within a film as the two main characters are seen watching themselves at the movie theatre. The conventions of pop videos included in ‘Thriller’ are in quick cuts between scenes which runs in sync with the music and images e.g zombies arise from the graves as Jackson sing of “evil rising” as the commentator speaks of zombies and erosion of bodies . The music then gets lower as the zombies creep and drag themselves towards the couple completely surrounding them as we see close ups of their rotting flesh and shrivelled body parts.

The Mise-en-scene within the video runs in relation to the horror film themes and motifs which feature in the video. The isolated area and decaying building in the background as well as zombie costumes relate to the spooky atmosphere the song itself is trying to promote. The couple dressed fashionably in leather jackets, sneakers (the boy-Jackson ), high –heels (the girl-Ola Ray) relate to the pop genre audience, teenagers and young adults. The zombie costumes and smoke machine effects , the mid shot of Ola Ray in shock as Michael turns into a Zombie and the background moves in and out then eventually fades all follow the horror movie conventions which pop videos with a narrative stereotypically encourage.

Shot size and camera angles within the video all help make ‘Thriller’ the most impressionable and unique video of its time. With a variety of long shots to establish the surroundings the couple is in, mid long shots to capture the emotions of the two main characters ,high angle close-ups of zombies to emphasize their hideousness and long-shot of zombies performing with Jackson all effectively follow the pop convention of an obvious relationship between sound and images .

‘Thriller’ references to intertexuality via the half boy half werewolf myth evident in the film ‘American Werewolf in London’ which is incorporated to advance the viewing pleasure of the audience and evidently relate to fans of the horror film genre. It also made the film at the time very unique because of its referencing to other films as it was the first time a music video had use this method of filming.

‘Inner City Life’ by house and garage/ funky house music artist Goldie describes the harsh reality of growing up in an inner city area. It establishes the struggles and emotional ups and downs faced by those living in an environment they feel imprisoned in as the lyrics support ‘living free, I long to feel’ suggesting the area is an unpleasant solace to live. The lead female singer captures the mood of the female character within the video who struggles to pay the bills and support two children whilst seems to be displaying symptoms of depression.

The high angle wide shot of the high rise buildings establishes the environment of the council estate as dangerous and uninviting. the mid –close up of the main singer in a performance shot conveys the messages in the video as everything she sings about is neatly expressed by the actors . The Mise-en-scene of the women and children in a cramped ,dingy flat representing the working class suggests the song is a reflection of the mood and tone of the video appealing to those who may life in high rise housing projects .the shopping trolley falling off the top of one of the balconies in the estate is use to disorientate the audience in a canted shot . The aggression of the trolley falling would startle members of the audience as well as creating a sense of chaos and anger, which may reflect the attitude of some residence living on the estate that would prefer to live elsewhere. The idea of chaos is also represented ina a hand-held camera shot in a rave scene, the circulatory movement of the camera filming the residence (mainly men ) ‘raving’ as if there’s a build up of pressure linking to the song as she states ‘inner city pressure’.

The Mise –en-scene helps create the rugged effect of the urban lifestyle and portrays a message of the harsh reality of the working class urban lifestyle. Marxist would argue that the messages evident in the text are realistic lifestyle. Marxist would also argue the messages are positive as the children are happy, however negative as the stereotypical single mother living in a high rise looks miserable as she struggles to pay bills and ‘make ends meet’.

The text seems to maintain hegemonic controls as the residence of the urban area are black which is a stereotypical representation of black people nowadays is. Unchallenged by the masses the video also shows a BMW convertible with a black male in the driver’s seat who seems to be a representation of a common drug dealer. This hegemonic control is an acceptance of the societies expectations a.k.a. the ‘status-quo’. The text also challenges hegemonic control as the children in single-parent homes are usually miserable but the mother seems like a good mother to her innocent children, there are suggestions of her prostituting herself in a birds-eye view of her and a man on a bed in there underwear, reinforcing the difficulty of women having to juggle work and family life in urban areas. The rave scene shows mostly black men in a smoke-filled room –signifying the use of cannabis which is a common stereotype associated with black young males as a cultural habit. The absents of women in the rave scene breaks out of the stereotype of men going to raves to woo women as in the video it is represented more as a form of escapism from the hardship of inner city life. Because of the urban setting and black casting crew the videos target audience seems to point towards those from the ethnic minorities in society as well as appealing to those who enjoy urban house and garage upbeat music. Audience gratifications are evident in the video as the urban setting may appeal to those of the working class status as they can identify with the environment and the need to feel free from its restrictiveness. The upbeat tempo relates to those who enjoy the funky house music scene usually those in their late teens early 20’s. the artist and main singer both being mixed race can therefore appeal to both genders and appeal to people from ethnic minority backgrounds.

Taylor Swift -Love story

Taylor Swifts love story is of the country pop genre which follows the conventions of string –based instrumentals and narrative of a relationship between a young women and man .The video shows a clear relationship between sound and images between the lead singer and the key male actor. As she sings “Romeo save me “he runs towards her and embraces her in a hug they then runaway as she sings “Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone”

The Mise-en-scene of the Victorian setting and costumes the couple wear add to the realism of the intertextual reference made to Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” . Also her lyrics feature the names of the Victorian couple as if she and the main male actor are the Shakespearian couple. The mid-shot of Taylor searching for her “Romeo” shows her emotion and the high angle shot of Taylor alone shows her in a vulnerable position when she’s longing for him. The low key lightning of the majority of the video adds to the atmosphere of the time period the video is set in as in shakespearian days light was sourced from candles and lanterns. Also the panning shot emphasizing the vast castle –like building Taylor lives in connoting the wealth of the character ‘Juliet’ in the famous play.

The various panning shots within the music video adds to the romantic atmosphere as it adds a sense of relaxation and calmness amongst the audience. The fade in and out of the couple dancing under the low key lighting also creates a sense of magic and hypnotising love linking to the infatuation of the couple referenced in the video ‘Romeo and Juliet’ The fast cuts help the audiences understanding about the storyline that runs in sync with the lyrics. The fade-in of the close-up of the couple singing surrounded by the natural light promotes the idea of young love appealing to the teenage target audience the video is demonstrated to appeal to.

The video features a very straight-forward narrative and concept based storyline. It follows the story of ‘Romeo and Juliet’ so the audience can anticipate what the story will be about and what concepts are present that identify with the lyrics in the song.
The video uses the narrative of Shakespeare’s famous play to appeal to not only teenagers but also those who enjoy Victorian literature like plays , therefore older members of the audience could identify with the song and video.

Details of chosen track and genre:


The Pierces
Origin
Birmingham, Alabama
Genres
AlternativeFolk rockPop rock
Years active
2000–Present
Labels
Lizard King Records
The Pierces are a New York-based music band. The principal members are sisters Catherine Pierce and Allison Pierce, who originally hail from Birmingham, Alabama.Over the years, the girls have been compared to well-known artists like The Roches, Tori Amos , Sarah McLachlan , Shawn Colvin , the Indigo Girls and Sheryl Crow.
Born two years apart in Birmingham, Alabama, the Pierce sisters grew up in a family of seven. They traveled frequently and received home-schooling from their self-described hippie parents. Their father played the guitar in various bands, while their mother was a painter. Exposed to music and arts at an early age, the Pierce sisters grew up listening to Joni Mitchell and Simon & Garfunkel. As kids, they were encouraged to explore their creative side and would perform at parties, weddings and churches. Allison started dancing at age three, and both sisters are accomplished ballerinas.

The calligraphy font of the letter ‘f’ suggests a sense of richness and sophistication
The white background suggests it targets the wealthy members of the audience
The dark blue colour of most of the typography creates an effect of richness and simplicity.
Seems to appeal to middle –class audience , seemingly white
Appeals to arguably achievers and reformers.
OWNER:Global Radio

The bold ‘Base’ in the title connotes music with base and suggests the target audience is African Americans would be interested in
The circular border makes th ‘MTV’ stand out
The black background suggests a unisex audience
Appeals to black young people usually fashionable
Aspirers audience
OWNER: MTV networks Europe

Has a feminine appeal lilac and pink colours suggest this.
Appeals to mainstream audience
Appeals to aspirers
Promotes music genres pop, R‘n’B and hip-hop
Shaped like a mouth suggests sexual or flirtatious tone
Promotes songs about love and relationships
Appeals to mainstreamers and aspirers as it promotes ‘popular music’(pop music)
OWNERS: Box Television (Bauer group /channel 4)

Has a rugged , gritty look, looks gothic and rebellious.
Has a reckless look promoting a rebellious tone
The black background suggests darkness and anger
The dishevelled typography demonstrates the type of music televised is rock and heavy metal
Appeals to fans of the rock and heavy metal genre
Appeals to youth culture and aspirer audience
OWNER:CSC Media Group

Music TV logo analysis

Has a feminine appeal lilac and pink colours suggest this.
Appeals to mainstream audience
Appeals to aspirers
Promotes music genres pop, R‘n’B and hip-hop
Shaped like a mouth suggests sexual or flirtatious tone
Promotes songs about love and relationships
Appeals to mainstreamers and aspirers as it promotes ‘popular music’(pop music)
OWNERS: Box Television (Bauer group /channel 4)

Has a rugged , gritty look, looks gothic and rebellious.
Has a reckless look promoting a rebellious tone
The black background suggests darkness and anger
The dishevelled typography demonstrates the type of music televised is rock and heavy metal
Appeals to fans of the rock and heavy metal genre
Appeals to youth culture and aspirer audience
OWNER:CSC Media Group

Narrative Theories.



Narrative theory studies the devices and conventions governing the organisation of a story (fictional or factual) into a sequence.

TODOROV: (Bulgarian structuralist linguist publishing influential work on narrative from the 1960s onwards) Todorov suggested that stories begin with an equilibrium or status quo where any potentially opposing forces are in balance. This is disrupted by some event, setting in chain a series of events. Problems are solved so that order can be restored to the world of the fiction.


PROPP: (A Russian critic who examined 100s of examples of folk tales to see if they shared. any structures. His book on this 'Morphology of the Folk Tale' was first published in 1928) Propp looked at 100s of folk tales and identified 8 character roles and 31 narrative functions.
The 8 character roles are:
1. The villain(s)
2. The hero
3. The donor ‑ who provides an object with some magic property.
4. The helper who aids the hero.
5. The princess (the sought for person) ‑ reward for the hero and object of the villain's schemes.
6. Her father ‑ who rewards the hero.
7. The dispatcher ‑ who sends the hero on his way.
8. The false hero

The character roles and the functions identified by Propp can be applied to all kinds of narrative. In TV news programmes we are often presented with 'heroes' and ‘villains'. Just think of the media portrayal of Saddam Hussein or Princess Diana.

LEVI‑STRAUSS: Levi‑Strauss looked at narrative structure in terms of binary oppositions. Binary oppositions are sets of opposite values which reveal the structure of media texts. An example would be GOOD and EVIL ‑ we understand the concept of GOOD as being the opposite of EVIL. Levi ‑Strauss was not so interested in looking at the order in which events were arranged in the plot. He looked instead for deeper arrangements of themes. For example, if we look at Science Fiction films we can identify a series of binary oppositions which are created by the narrative:
Earth - Space
Good - Evil
Humans - Aliens
Past - Present
Normal - Strange
Known - Unknown


Taking these narrative theories into consideration I intend to include Todrov’s notion of a text opening with equilibrium, followed by a longer disturbance stage, then at the close of the text, returning to equilibrium or resolution. I will convey this narrative structure by opening the music video with text introducing the message behind the video, the name of the song and the artists themselves. The equilibrium will be demonstrated by the two friends seemingly happy, the disturbance will be represented through the main singer who tells her best friend a secret ,who then betrays her by telling somebody else , making the secret public . Recognizing the betrayal the main friend seeks revenge . Breaking out of Todrovs theory structure and incorporating abit of Levi-Strauss’ notion of binary oppositions e,g. good vs. evil: good being the main friend, evil being the friend who betrays her. I will leave the end of the video deliberately ambiguous allowing the audience to question whether she got her revenge or not thus ending in text again following the structure of Todrov’s theory.

LYRICS AND PICTURES OF GROUP : THE PIERCES

THE PIERCES

Got a secret
Can you keep it?
Swear this one you'll saveBetter lock it, in your pocket
Taking this one to the grave
If I show you then I know you
Won't tell what I said
Cause two can keep a secret
If one of the m is dead…

Why do you smile
Like you have told a secret
Now you're telling lies
Cause you're the one to keep it
But no one keeps a secret
No one keeps a secret
Why when we do our darkest deeds
Do we tell?They burn in our brains
Become a living hell
Cause everyone tells
Everyone tells…

Got a secret
Can you keep it?
Swear this one you'll save
Better lock it, in your pocket
Taking this one to the grave
If I show you then I know you
Won't tell what I said
Cause two can keep a secret
If one of the m is dead…

Look into my eyes
Now you're getting sleepy
Are you hypnotized
By secrets that you're keeping?
I know what you're keeping
I know what you're keeping

Got a secret
Can you keep it?
Swear this one you'll save
Better lock it, in your pocket
Taking this one to the grave
If I show you then I know you
Won't tell what I said
Cause two can keep a secret
If one of them is dead…

[spoken]Alison?
Yes, Katherine.
I have something I want to tell you,
but you have to promise to never tell anyone.
I promise
Do you swear on your life?
I swear on my life[end spoken]

You swore you'd never tell…
You swore you'd never tell…
You swore you'd never tell…
You swore you'd never tell…

Got a secretCan you keep it?
Swear this one you'll save
Better lock it, in your pocket
Taking this one to the grave
If I show you then I know you
Won't tell what I said
Cause two can keep a secret
If one of the m is dead…(chorus x 3)
Yes two can keep a secretIf one of us is…. Dead.

LOCATION AND ACTOR SHOTS

TITLES AT THE BEGINNING AND END OF FILM INDICATES THE GHOSTLY THEME OF THE VIDEO AND SUGGESTS HIDDEN MEANING OF THE SONG.

THE ROOM/HOUSE SCENE: USE TO CREATE A SENSE OF INTIMACY AND TO DEMONSTRATE THE IMPORTANCE OF THE TWO MAIN CHARACTERS CLOSE RELATIONSHIP. IT ALSO PORTRAYS THE FACT THAT THEY TRUST EACHOTHER ENOUGH TO CONFIDE IN EACHOTHER.

THE LONDON EYE AND PATHWAY: USE TO CREATE A PLAYFUL TONE TO THE SONG AND IN OUR PEER EVALUATION PEOPLE SUGGESTED THAT IT GOES WITH THE HARMONY OF THE SONG AS THE SONG INCLLUDES NON-DIEGETIC SOUND OF BELLS THAT A FUNFAIR WOULD HAVE AND SINCE THERE WERE NO FUNFAIRS AROUND AT THE TIME WE WERE FILMING THE LONDON EYE PROVED TO BE THE NEXT BEST THING.

THE GRAVEYARD:USE TO INTRODUCE AN GLOOMY EFFECT AND CREATE A SENSE OF SORROW AND MYSTERY TO DRAW THE ATTENTION OF THE AUDIENCE. IT ALSO SEEMS TO FORESHADOW THE CONSTANT THEME OF DEATH THAT RUNS IN SYNC WITH THE SONG.

THE FOREST : USE TO CREATE A SENSE OF MYSTERY AND DEATH AS WELL AS A GHOSTLY ATMOSPHERE TO FORESHADOW THE DECAY OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE TWO BESTFRIENDS.

PROPS AND CLOTHING:THE RED CLOTHING OF THE MAIN SINGER IS USE TO CONNOTE PASSION AND USE TO CONVENTIONALLY SUGGEST DEATH AND DESTRUCTION . THE BLACK OUTERWEAR OF ADIAT SIGNIFIES THE ACTION OF BETRAYAL AND SUGGESTS SHE IS EVIL AND UNTRUSTWORTHY.THE CHARACTERS COSTUME ARE IMPORTANT IN HELPING THE AUDIENCE DISTINGISH THERE PERSONALITIES AND TENDS TO SET THE MOOD OF THE SCENE E.G. LIGHTER CLOTHING CONNOTES A PLEASANT MOOD LIKE AT THE LONDON EYE (SOUTHBANK) AND DARK CLOTHING AT THE GRAVEYARD SIGNIFIES HURT AND BETRAYAL.