Our video choice; Paramore-Conspiracy

Friday 25 September 2009

Thursday 24 September 2009

Music video analysis;

Weezer- Pork and beans

Pork and beans is a true to life parody of YouTube fame. It is a performance based video which consists of continues edits throughout the video.
The video begins with an opening shot of the screen split into four, each quarter is filled with one of the band members playing there instrument. This edit is used to introduce the audience to the band immediately which almost welcomes the audience to the music video. This is followed by the top right quarter forming the loading swirl which is used on YouTube, this loading swirl is used to move into the next shot of the first famous YouTube character ‘numa numa guy’ who is famous for the parody dance of the ‘the numa numa song’. The video then cuts straight back to the member of the band in the top right corner. Next CGI is used when the 4shot frame cuts to the shot of the prairie dog which has the lead member of the bands face superimposed onto the dogs face. This is used to give a comedy effect on the video. This is used to define the target audience. The main target audience for the video is an age range between 13-18. Particularly for boys as it’s quite a silly and immature sense of humour for the video. I think this is quite interesting because weezer is normally for a slightly older audience which means by targeting a younger audience they are broadening their audience. The video then straight cuts to the lead member of the band on YouTube. This is used to show that he does enjoy watching the video's on YouTube which even though it is a parody of the famous YouTube acts he does actually respect the YouTube community. This correlates with competition which was held within YouTube which contributed to writing the whole song. The competition ran by lead singer of Weezer allowed YouTube users to submit their own ideas and lyrics for the song.
Next is the scene with the mentos experiment which is very famous on YouTube. The scene is connected by the throwing of safety glasses onto the next shot. This is an animation shot which is appropriate to the video as it helps to target that younger audience this relates to the lyrics “you’d hate for the kids to think that you’d lost your cool”. The shot then straight cuts to the chorus section within the video which is back to the science experiment. The mise en scene of the laboratory outfits helps to create the random sense of YouTube, the band and to the video. Whilst the band are in the previously executed outfits with the cascading cola of the several mentos experiments going on during the chorus on the bands stage. This helps to create a mad sense which livens up the video. Mid chorus a cut is make to a member of the band wearing a changing 155 T-shirts ranging S-XXXL which is edited by stop motion video capture. The T-Shirts gained 100 pounds and took 4 hours to shoot. This is very effective and is repeated throughout the video. At the end of the video there is a collaboration of everyone involved with a lot of random other objects, a space ship is used in the end of the video I think this basically shows exactly what this video is all about; the future. At the end of the video the fountains stop and which is a good ending because it brings all of the random events to a close.



The Killers-Bones

Bones is a very unusual and unique music video by The Killers directed by Tim Burton. The camerawork used in Bones is fairly conventional of indie style genre videos with medium shots of the band and close-ups of the lead vocalist and the band members playing their instruments. Another interesting shot which is used throughout the video is a low angle shot of lead vocalist to give him a sense of power and domination within the band. With predominantly medium shots and close ups, the camera position is fairly straightforward, other uses are the establishing shot to show the location of the video which is a drive-in theatre, the screen in which is also used in the narrative to provide additional footage. There are close-ups of the two main characters within the narrative to portray a sense of intimacy, which is further reinforced by multiple uses of the shot-reverse shot. These conventions which are used throughout the video are very well done and the use of establishing the area and using two main characters within the performance is very inspiring for my music video, it has shown me by focusing in and creating a clear storyline, the overall video will be better.
The editing throughout the video was done in the simplistic and conventional form of a fast cut montage of various images and scenes in order to build up a running narrative. The editing is in time with the music which creates the professional effect. To show this effect, the editing also ensures that the lyrics and narrative are in juxtaposition with each other all throughout the song and example of this is the lyrics “don’t you wanna feel my bones” which are sang by the lead whilst in the narrative shot the scene shows the girl taking off her wig to reveal her whole skeleton. Another key feature of the style of editing was that it continuously cut back to the band with the narrative continuing in the background as to not alienate the viewers or fans from either the band’s performance or the abstract narrative and its features and images. This creates an unusual arty effect throughout the performance and helps keeps the audience interested and involved. Overall I think the video is interesting and unique and has a lot of strong shots and images throughout and really creates a more rock image for the band which appeals to a wider target audience.

Foo Fighters – The Pretender

The Pretender video directed by Sam Brown shows the Foo Fighters performing the song in an ice hockey rink, lit by strong strip lights on the ceiling. The ice rink is the only location in the whole video, and it is very interestingly laid out. It is a very simple set, featuring the band on one end of it, with a very large solid glossy red screen above and behind them throughout the video. I like the use of one location as it gives a simplistic and natural effect to the video. Also, opposite the band on the other side of the set is stood what appears to be a riot police officer standing behind a black line on the floor. Due to the set’s simplicity and general emptiness, we are made to wonder what the massive red screen is doing there, and if it has a purpose. As the video progresses, other similar officers who again stand in line along the black line on the floor facing the band, looking intimidating, join the single police officer. The video seems to build up to a bridge just before their last chorus, where there is a very quiet and light music part, and the officers then start running and charge at the band in slow motion, and just as they get closer, the massive screen behind the band suddenly erupts a red water-like liquid jets shoot past and through the band and appears to overwhelm and throw the officers off guard. This of course coincides exactly as the band plays their last chorus, this time louder and angrier than before. It is clear that the guards were defeated as the song ends, and the front man slams his guitar on the floor and falls to his knees to what I assume is to represent the exhaustion after the battle.

The video is composed of mainly pans, zooms and tracking shots, and close ups of the front man since he is the best-known member of the band (having belonged to Nirvana). These are used to really market the main member of the band. The fact that the director isolated them in an empty ice rink makes the political lyrics stand out, as the singer shouts “What if I say I will never surrender” shows that the video is there to present a strong political message. The use of the black, white and red colour theme throughout really creates a strong bold image which I think stands out and looks great. I think using a strict colour scheme really creates structure within a video.

Paparazzi – Lady Gaga

Lady gaga is known for her crazy image and unusual performance base videos such as; poker face and just dance although this video is mainly narrative-based, as the lyrics reflect the narrative yet the full video is still about the promotion and this character ‘lady gaga’. Her usual videos are aimed at a 16-30 audience because her songs are catchy, dance and fun. The opening section is filled with many images with of flowers to create this happy romantic setting it then contrasts majorly with the story of Lady Gaga and her destructive relationship with her boyfriend he injures her in the be him at the beginning, resulting in her seeking revenge and killing him in the end. The final shots of the video shows her having her photo taken, mug-shot style, in jail; this is done after the song has ended. The narrative of the video creates an interesting effect, as when watched in full-length it is almost like watching a mini-movie.
This video contains a huge amount of unusual and interesting shots. The video begins like a movie which is already an unusual way to begin a music video considering the music doesn’t actually begin until 3 minutes into the video, as a small bit of acting takes place, setting the scene and mood for the rest of the video. Meaning the video is nearly 8 minutes long. By creating this old style movie shot she is starting to compare to other artists videos such as; Christina Agularia- Aint no other man. Shots from the point of view of a photographer, creating quick freeze-frames could be used to get different angles and perspectives of the scene. This is a very fun video to watch; also the dramatised style of it will make it more appealing and therefore more successful. Which reflects this big bold unusual character which is ‘lady gaga’ However; it is very long which could cause boredom easily especially if seen too many times. I feel that this has broadened Lady Gaga’s target audience, as the video and the song follow a more pop music style and have a more dramatic narrative, appealing to a younger audience rather than her usual clubber audience. I think this is one of the main targets within the video.

Paramore- Decode

The video of Paramore decode is based on the film twilight which allows Paramore to show a different side to the band than they have in previous videos. The video begins with an opening panning shot of the setting. This gives the audience an idea of the location of the video and the style of video it is going to be even before the music begins. There is then a sudden close up of the guitar which then cuts to a shot of the guitarist, there is then a cut to Hayley Williams (lead singer) this introduces the band and welcomes the viewer to the video. The shot is then cut to members of the twig light film to create and equal balance of Paramore and the twilight characters. Through the use of mise en scene within the woods and within the band members clothes and faces it creates and dark gloomy atmosphere which reflects the film well. Throughout the video there is continues straight cuts between the band members and the characters from the film. The band is set up in an open area in the forest surrounded by trees whilst the twilight characters act out short clips around them. A large range of camera angles is used throughout this video to really create an edgy and nervous feel. The use of many interesting edits between the trees and the band which is centered right in the middle of the forest creates a new style for Paramore which shows a rock side to the band which creates a much wider target audience. One of the main reasons for the video’s success is the success of the film twilight and the books. This allows twilight’s typical target audience to enjoy the music of Paramore which may not be there typical genre of music but it allows Paramore to be broadcasted throughout. The video for decode is one of my favorite music videos and I don’t even like the film twilight I think the edgy setting and the creative editing creates a really strong video and I love it.

Powerpoint pitch

Power Point Pitch

Analysis of questionnaire

These are a selection of video'd questionnaired people.












Analysis of questionnaire

Analysis of questionnaire

Analysis of questionnaire

Analysis of questionnaire

Analysis of questionnaire

Analysis of questionnaire

Analysis of questionnaire

Analysis of questionnaire

Questionnaire

I have designed a questionnaire this will help me with decisions about my music video. I will give my questionnaire to a wide range of age groups; this will give me a variety of opinions as different age groups have different opinions. I will ask 15 people of a range of ages to give me accurate results. I will video a few people answering the questions to show the reaction and results to some of the questions asked. I shall record the results in a table and complete graphs to allow the results to be shown more clearly and well presented.

1. What gender are you?

• Male
• Female

2. How old are you?

• 10-15
• 16-20
• 21-25
• 26-30
• 31+

3. Which element of a music video do you prefer?

• Performance
• Narrative

4. Would you prefer a…

• Whole band
• Lead singer solo

5. Do you watch the music channels?

• Yes
• No

6. What music channel do you listen to mostly?

• Kerrang
• Scuzz
• MTV base
• The box
• The hits

7. In your opinion what makes a music video interesting?


8. What is your favourite genre of music?

• Rock
• Indie
• Pop
• Metal
• Country
• Jazz
• R&B

9. What do you use to view music videos?

• Music channel
• Youtube
• Ipod
• Other

10. How often do you watch music videos?

• Everyday
• Once a week
• Twice a month
• One a month
• rarely

11. What is your favourite music video?



12. Why is it your favourite?

Wednesday 23 September 2009

DVD cover analysis- Radiohead

The very best of Radiohead DVD cover is very interesting. The colour scheme is very basic with the black, yellow and red. This is good because as well as following the codes and conventions it stays in trend with the themes of the band and the style of the music which the band makes. The lack of organization on the back of the music video allows the audience to get an idea about the unusualness of the bands videos and music. This is an interesting theme throughout the naming of the songs as it contrasts completely with the rest of the DVD cover. By creating a contrast one DVD cover it creates depth to the band and allows the audience to get a feel for the music which is created by Radiohead but still leaves them thinking about it. The use of the previous albums made into a collage of 6 images creates a memorable feel which allows the viewer to relate back to previous albums. This also creates a nice range of colours and draws the audience to the DVD cover straight away. I like the DVD cover, I think its interesting and creative but yet still quite simple and not too colourful which gives the audience a clear understanding of the band.

DVD cover analysis- Girls Aloud

The bright and illuminating colours show straight away the genre of the band which the DVD cover is from. The main colour you see is pink which is stereotypically a girls favorite colour which correlates with the band ‘girls aloud’ the pop group from Britain use the colour scheme of mainly pink and white. These girly colours would appeal to a younger audience which is good because girls aloud’s target audience is of a younger age to Radiohead who’s DVD cover is very adult and has a lot of meaning behind every detail. The idea of the lights and the 5 members of the band standing on stars are very engaging and allows the audience to feel like they could be one of those girls which makes the DVD cover appealing. I personally don’t like the DVD cover because I find it looks very thrown together and tacky. On the other hand I do like the idea of the metaphor of the girls standing on stars which makes them stars.

DVD cover analysis- Michael Jackson

The plain colour scheme of the white background and Michael Jackson in black immediately defines what Michael Jackson is famous for; his fantastic ability to perform. The white background creates a simple yet fresh look, which follows the conventions well. The full length image of Michael on his toes shows exactly what his music is about. It creates a personality of him in one still image. The use of black and orange used for writing creates a nice look for the DVD cover. I think the neat writing of the songs is also very in trend with Michael Jackson. It creates a sharp image and works well within the cover. I like this cover because it is different other artists DVD cover’s it is amazing how a whole personality is created in this one image through the use of this signature pose of Michael on his toes. I find the colour orange an unusual choice and think another colour could have been used which could have meant something.

DVD cover analysis- The Beatles

Bright vibrant and fun is the first words which are thought of when describing this DVD album cover. Through the use of the word ‘goldies’ and the running theme of gold throughout the cover the Beatles cover works well. This is my favorite of all of the covers. The miss match colour shows the era of the Beatles and the creativity and uniqueness of there band. The white writing on the back does not work well due to the font being too small and doesn’t stand out enough to want to be read. The image of the Beatles on the back of the DVD works well and shows the band off. My favorite thing on the DVD cover is the retro front cover image, I think it works very well in context with the band and draws the audience in brilliantly.

DVD cover analysis- Blink 182

The plain and simplicity of the blink 182 cover immediately shows the audience that it is a blink 182 cover. This is shown clearly through the blink 182 art work is always connected to representing the band. By using the original art work smiley face any sort of blink 182 fan is drawn in straight away. The bold and simple colour scheme works well in relation to the band and follows the codes and conventions. Through the use of the main image and the bold titles this DVD cover follows the conventions very well all throughout the cover. The words ‘greatest hits’ are used which draws in the reader to think this album is better than any that has been out before. The white strip on the back of the cover with the worlds ‘greatest hits’ fits in nicely with the front cover and the repetitiveness of the word ‘great’ is strong. The descending size of the fonts used on the back in the names of the songs works effectively and draws the audience’s attention in and helps to create a more exciting DVD cover. I like the blink 182 DVD cover because I think the simplicity works in favor to the bands style, I always like the use of the famous blink smile because it shows a devotion to the band and originality. I think the cover could do with a bit more colour to make it more eye grabbing and effective.

Analysis of previous years work: The unicorn

The opening shot of the music video begins with a dark light creating a chlaroscuro effect which is made by the lighting of candles. This works in a very effective way as it makes the audience feel straight away uneasy and intrigued. The opening shot is an open book which begins with stop start motion of the pages turning in time with the music. On the right hand page there is a hang drawn image which shows a girl crawling out from a grave as a male walks over. This sets the scene and creates an edgy unusually dark set for a music video. There is then a sudden straight cut to a light setting with the band playing; I think this ruins the dark edgy feel as the light changes too sharply. The narrative throughout the video for the band is the fact that they are becoming more and more deader. At the beginning of the video, the band are wearing simple costumes, the hair and makeup then becomes more dramatic and the clothes become torn and bloody. The instruments fit in well and are played correctly especially the double base. The leaves on the floor in the drama hall are reflected during the band playing and during the story in the trees. By doing this it creates a nice connection which helps link the story together. However I do not like the use of the silver stars in the background as I feel it looks fake and amateur which doesn’t fit in with the themes of the video. There is then a tilt down shot of the two characters from the book now into real life the camera reveals them the tilt shot then carries on and the two characters disappear. This is used to show a narrative and the representation of the book from the beginning. Another interesting shot used is the two characters running through the backtrack. The shot which has been sped up creates a creepy yet exciting atmosphere throughout the video which I think could be relevant for the use during our video. The video then alternates between the scenes in the backtrack back to the band shots. During the band scene there is an overlapping of shots to create a strobe lightning effect another interesting shot which could be an option for our video as it creates a weird, dead feeling but yet still full of excitement. The main characters are wearing white and have pale skin I think this works well with the video and help create that ghostly feel. The expressions on the band members are strong which accomplish the theme of death throughout the video. During the last band section there is a fantastic fading shot of two members of the band either side of the lead singer. On one side he is jerking around creating this feeling that he is about to explode, it is used very well and builds up a lot of tension to the closing of the song. On the other side of the main singer is the guitarist standing still and looking dead, the contrast of the characters creates a very strong image. Finally the characters join the band in the closing of the video which connects the video for a strong ending.

Director Profile- Melissa Abesera

Melissa Abesera has a discriminating eye and works meticulously to find the right talent for your next project. She is personally involved in the entire casting process. She will identify, select and negotiate for the best talent. Melissa prides herself in helping the director and creative team to achieve their vision. Famous for saying "Casting is my passion. I help directors create memorable performances. I TAKE COMEDY SERIOUSLY AND REAL PEOPLE TOO!" She particularly specializes in:
Comedy, Real People, Dialogue, Kids, Beauty, Film, TV Commercials, Reality TV, and Music Videos, Union and Non Union, Foreign Languages (including: Spanish, French, Tagalog, Mandarin, Cantonese, Hindi, Arabic, Portuguese, Swahili, and Hebrew). She has A list clients such as; Mel Gibson, Whoopi Goldberg, Garth Brooks, Randy Travis, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jaclyn Smith, Mary Hart, Ben Stein, Morgan Fairchild, Lesley Ann Warren, and Elan Gold.

Director Profile- Travis Kopach

Travis Kopach is a famous music video director he has directed many videos for many famous bands such as; 30h!3- don’t trust me, panic and the disco- Lying is the most fun a girl can have, black tide- shockwave as well as Boys Like Girls who are a four-piece pop-punk band from Boston, Massachusetts. The group has a similar style of music to artists such as paramore. The group topped the Top Unsigned Artist chart on PureVolume within a few months from forming in late 2005. In August 2006, they released their Matt Squire-produced debut album Boys Like Girls via Columbia Records/Red Ink. On March 17, 2007, it was announced that the band was voted 2006 Artist of the Year by the readers of Spin.

Director Profile- Adrian Picardi

Adrian Picardi is a mixed "Italian-Korean" American filmmaker who is best known for winning a series of online short film contests, and securing a spot as one of the young and prominent, up and coming filmmakers in the industry. For all his works thus far, he has been credited as director, writer, cinematographer, and editor. He works extremely low budgets, yet makes them extremely commercially appealing in the visual sense. He shoots and produces many of his films in Los Angeles, California. He has edited numerous music videos that have been aired on networks such as MTV before the age of 20. He also directed many music videos for the once known band ‘stars and stripes’ currently knows as Automatic Loveletter which is a rock band who has many simularities within there style of music to paramour. The acoustic and emo influences, based in the United States of America. The band formed in Tampa, Florida, in 2007, led by vocalist and guitarist Juliet Simms, with drummer Daniel Currier, lead guitarist Joe Nelson and bassist Sean Noll.

Initial ideas

Mood board

Initial annotations for lyrics

Lyrics

Please speak softly, for they will hear us
And they'll find out why we don't trust them
Speak up dear cause I cannot hear you
I need to know why we don't trust them

Explain to me this conspiracy against me (yeah...yeah)
And tell me how I've lost my power (Ohh, yeah)

Where can I turn? Cause I need something more
Surrounded by uncertainty I'm so unsure
Tell me why I feel so alone cause I need to Know to whom do I owe

Explain to me this conspiracy against me (yeah...yeah)
And tell me how I've lost my power (ohh, yeah)

I thought that we'd make it
Because you said that we'd make it through
And when all security fails
will you be there to help me through

Explain to me this conspiracy against me (Yeah....yeah)
And tell me how I've lost my power (ohhhhhh....)

I've lost my power

Band/song information

Paramore is a Grammy-nominated American rock band that formed in Franklin, Tennessee in 2004 consisting of Hayley Williams (lead vocals), Josh Farro (lead guitar/backing vocals), Jeremy Davis (bass guitar), Zac Farro (drums), and Taylor York (rhythm guitar). The group released their debut album All We Know Is Falling in 2005, second album, Riot! in 2007, which was certified platinum in the US and gold in the UK, Ireland and New Zealand.
In 2002, at the age of 13, vocalist, Hayley Williams who was born on December 27, 1988 moved from her hometown Meridian, Mississippi to Franklin, Tennessee where she met brothers Josh and Zac Farro while she was attending a private school. Shortly after arriving, she began taking vocal lessons with Brett Manning. However, prior to forming Paramore, Williams and bassist Jeremy Davis, along with friend Kimee Read, took part in a funk cover band called The Factory, while the Farro brothers had practiced together after school. The other members of what was soon to be Paramore had been "edgy about the whole female thing" of having Williams as vocalist, but, because they were really good friends, she started writing for them, and it eventually worked out. The band was officially formed by Josh Farro, Zac Farro, Jeremy Davis and Hayley William in 2004, with the later addition of Williams' neighbour, Jason Bynum. According to Williams, the name "Paramore" came from the maiden name of the mother of one of their first bass players. Once the group learned the meaning of the homophone paramour (secret lover), they decided to adopt the name, using the Paramore spelling. The band's first song written together was "Conspiracy", which was later used on their debut album.
Paramore has expressed appreciation for Blink-182, Death Cab for Cutie, Jimmy Eat World, mewithoutYou, and Sunny Day Real Estate; Williams citing her personal influences as Robert Smith of The Cure and Etta James. Williams explained that bands such as U2, "who are massive, and do whatever they want, write whatever they want and they stand for something," Jimmy Eat World, "who I don’t think ever disappoint their fans," and No Doubt, who "have done amazing things," act as a pattern for the path in which Paramore would like to take their career.

Advert anaylisis

Paramore- Brand new eyes



This Paramore advert is very plain, simple and effective. It has the main information needed in a black plain bold font. The bland grey background contrasting with the yellow butterfly creates a great striking, original effect which reflects on the band. The choice of a butterfly leaves a lot of imagination for the reasoning behind the butterfly. I personally think it’s to show the band growing and learning to 'fly' off into their own world as they are at the height of the career.

Blink 182



The black, white and red effect used as the 3 colours on the advert creates a bold and unique stamp on the band. The typical stance shows a typical rock band. The mise en scene of the tattoos and band T-shirts also create this rock, tough look which reflects the band well. As one of the band members isn’t even looking at the camera it creates a natural feel within the band which works well and I think would be liked by typical ‘blink 182 fans’. Overall I like the photo although not sure about the background within the photo.

Michael Jackson



The use of the 3 colours is also found in Michael Jackson’s ‘bad’ advert. It is a very strong image of him which shows his type of character and his stage presence being strong. The white background in my opinion makes the advert a little bit too simple but I like the use of the red writing with the word ‘bad’ it creates mystery and excitement which is what Michael Jackson is famous for his exuberant performances. By used his name on the side this is his signature font and title which gives familiar audience a constant reminder that he is Michael Jackson. I like the advert although I think it is a little too bland.

Gwen stefani



The strong image of Gwen shows that she is in control of the image and the main focus within the shot. The mise en scene of the glitter, dimonds and glamerous objects creates a rich feel which makes he seem high class and famous. I like the small image of the CD cover in the corner, this would be something i would considering using in my own project as i think it promotes the artist well. The writing also reflects a rich feel as its very grand which correlates with the image and works well as an advert.

Killers

This advert is very random to the band, by using a half naked woman it draws in readers straight away but mainly contrasts with the male band. The 'killers' title is very well known and works well as a iconic symbol, so fans know straight away who the band is which works well a promotion method.

Planning Timetable and Roles within group

Planning timetable





Roles within the production of our music video

Characters of main scene;

Character 1-Christie Flynn
Character 2- Sarah Vyse
Character 3- Brooke Hopkin


Band members of performance scene;

Christie Flynn- Singer/guitar
Sarah Vyse- Base
Brooke Hopkin- Drums


Filmers;

Christie Flynn
Sarah Vyse
Brooke Hopkin