Final Song choice

Our final song choice is Chemical Brothers-Glavanize

We have chose this song by Chemical Brothers as a group. We agreed that not only its suitable for the coursework its dynamic and a piece were we can be extremly creative and show our editing and filming skills clearly. Our video will differ from the official clip. The first crucial element we will include in our clip is lip synching. We also would rather not use a greyscale so that our final outcome can be colourful live and pacey.

Short List of Potential Songs

As a Group we had to decide a variety of songs that would be relevent and suitable to proceed with in our a2 coursework. We have come up with a different range of genres and music since everyone's taste of music differs. We had to put all the music that each person perfred on the table and chose the one tht is most relevent for the final outcome. These were some of the Pieces we have out on the table:

Genre
Indie
Soul
Funky
Rap
Artists
Plan b
Tinie Tempah
Chemical Brothers
The streets
Songs
'Stay too long'
'Pass out'
'Galvanize'
'Dry your eyes'

Previous Students work

This is a video from a previous student from media studies. This is a good example of music video due to its editing, Camera shots and appropriate lip synching. The use of greyscale adds a significant effect which is not always conventional with the genre however, the way this student portrayed her artist character and the song establishes the genre clearly and created a stylish look.
The acting in the clip relates to the video as she hold up posters of 2 or 3 ofthe main words that are used in the lyrics. Bringing the red alive on her liptick the buses, heels and earings creates a unique stylish effect which captures attention and relates to the genres fast pace live mood.


Adam, Lisa, Nasima & Sayvita from 283goswell on Vimeo.

Vladimir Propp and his theory

Vladimir Propp was a Russian and Soviet Formalist scholar who analyzed the basic plot components of Russian folk tales to identify their simplest irreducible narrative elements.


Contending that fairy tales could be studied and compared by examining their most basic plot components, Formalist Vladimir Propp developed an analysis that reduced fairy tales to a series of actions performed by the dramatis personae in each story. Propp argued that all fairy tales were constructed of certain plot elements, which he called functions, and that these elements consistently occurred in a uniform sequence. Based on a study of one hundred folk tales, Propp devised a list of thirty-one generic functions, proposing that they encompassed all of the plot components from which fairy tales were constructed.


Vladimir Propp (1969) developed a character theory for studying media texts and productions, which indicates that there were 7 broad character types in the 100 tales he analysed, which could be applied to other media:

1. The villain (struggles against the hero)
2. The donor (prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object)
3. The (magical) helper (helps the hero in the quest)
4. The princess (person the hero marries, often sought for during the narrative)
5. Her father
6. The dispatcher (character who makes the lack known and sends the hero off)
7. The hero or victim/seeker hero, reacts to the donor, weds the princess

Letter requesting copyright clearance

The following letter is requesting a copyright clearance to use Chemical Brothers-Galvanize song.

                                                                                                                                             89 Joseph Court

Amhurst Park

London

N16 5AH

                                                   

 

 

To whom it may concern                       webmaster@chemicalbrothers.net   

 

Chemical Brothers-Galvanize

 

I am a student of A level Media Studies and for my Advanced Portfolio I will be working in a group to produce promotional packages for the release of a new album track. I would like to request permission to use the above track for this project.

The finished project will not be available publidly and will be used solely for coursework purposes. The holder of the original copyright will be fully acknowledged in the finished project.

If you do not hold the rights for this song I should be grateful if you could forward this request to the appropriate person, or return it to me with the contyact details in order that I might approach the copyright holder directly.

Yours Faithfully,

 

Bilal Salli

Bilal_salli@hotmail.co.uk

Vladimir Propp

Vladimir Propp was a Russian and Soviet formalist scholar who analyzed the basic plot components of Russian folk tales to identify their simplest irreducible narrative elements.


Formalist Vladimir Propp developed an analysis that reduced fairy tales to a series of actions performed by the dramatis personae in each story. Propp argued that all fairy tales were constructed of certain plot elements, which he called functions, and that these elements consistently occurred in a uniform sequence. Based on a study of one hundred folk tales, Propp devised a list of thirty-one generic functions, proposing that they encompassed all of the plot components from which fairy tales were constructed.

Planning: Potential songs

Princess Nyah ft Griminal & Ghetts - Hooligans
Tinie Tempah - Pass Out
Plan B - Stay too long
The Streets - Dry your eyes

Lip synch tutorial experience

Lip synching activity

I enjoyed doing the lip synching activity. Lip synching is very important in producing a music video. Lip synching is when you have to adjust the actor/actresses lip movement according with the timing of the lyrics of the song. It is an important element as you have sing the words in the same timing as in the song. In lip synching is in important to repeat the song a few times and take many different shots from different heights and angles. You should take a variety of different shot types such as close ups, long shots, mid shots etc. When the shots are edited the video will look sharp and classy. The editing was done with Final Cut Pro, which I used last year so I new a lot about ths program. In Final Cut Pro, we used a new tool called the marker. This tool allowed us to mark a point in our shots so it would be adjusted with the soundtrack so it made it seem like the actress was singing. I learned how to use the marker tool correctly as I marked the points in the correct places of the same word.

Andrew Goodwin's Theory

Andrew Goodwin has identified a number of key features which distinguish the music video as a form:

- There is a relationship between the lyrics and the visuals, with the visuals illustrating, amplifying or contradicting the lyrics.

- There is a relationship between the music and the visuals, with the visuals illustrating, amplifying or contradicting the music.

- Genres are complex and diverse in terms of music video style and iconography

- Record companies will demand a lot of close-ups of the main artist or vocalist

- Voyeurism is present in many music videos, especially in the treatment of females, but also in terms of systems of looking. Some examples are screens within screens, cameras, mirrors, etc.

- There are likely to be intertexual references, either to other music videos or to films and TV texts, these provide further gratification and pleasure for the viewers/fans.

- There are three different aspects of music videos; Illustration, Disjuncture and Amplification.

Lip Synching Activity

Lip Synching Activity.

I really enjoyed doing Lip Synching Activity on Monday morning. Technicians showed us how to do it first and then we’ve had to do it ourselves. We used Final Cut Pro which we are quite familiar with after last year, but we haven’t done this exercise before. We’ve had to put the soundtrack first, then we’ve had to find the different clips of the same song – filmed from the different angles, match them all together with using Markers – the new tool we did not use before. Now that was a bit difficult to mark the exact time of the artist singing and then mark the same time on the soundtrack according to the lyrics of the song.

I found myself being very comfortable with doing editing this time, it might be because of the experience I gained last year. I also think that it was much easier then doing the thriller opening. With Music Videos all we have to do is make sure that the Lip Synching is done properly which is not difficult, hopefully with our own videos it will be as easy.

Lip Synch Tutorial

                                     We couldnt proceed with this cd since it kept skipping

During this activity I have learnt a variety of techniques and aspects which is crucial to Lip Synching and making music videos. The central element that is integral in lip synching is to repeat the whole song 3 or 4 times from different angles, which then when edited correctly can look snappy, sharp and up to beat.
The most challenging aspect for me was to create the shot according to the music. At first because there was no use of pan and tilt it seemed weird, however having steady shots become more powerful when edited.
On final cut Pro we used a new tool called markers. It helped us to mark a point in our shots and adjust it with the music so that it looked like our actress was singing. Without using markers it would be extremely difficult to match the lyrics of the song with the actor/actress's time.
The main dissimilarity between the opening of a thriller film and a music video; editing wise, is that in a music video we have to adjust the movement of the actor/actress's lip according to the lyrics of the song. Conversely thriller openings are easier than music clips in terms of editing. This is because in thriller opening you have more choices of effects that you can use to portray your narrative however, in a music video we have to be exceptionally careful to choose the right effect to establish the genre.

Lip Syncing Exercise-Photos, video & summary

(We ended up not using this song because the CD kept skipping)

Over the past week we have been learning how to successfully lip sync video footage with an audio track.It was a fun experimental exercise but it also taught us all some vital skills when it comes to preparing for making our own pop music video.

On mondays lesson we were given a tutorial on using final cut pro to sync video and audio together.We were given some sample clips to practice with and were taught how to use markers to pinpoint a word in the video which we then paired up with the audio.For me this was simple enough but I found it got a bit harder when we began to layer on the clips but it was definitely a good skill to learn, it could be the core of our music video for all we know.For the rest of the lesson we were just filming some basic shots in an empty classroom.We were given the song "He's the greatest dancer" by Sister Sledge and Karina volunteered to be the singer with some cameos from Bilal.We really wanted to keep the shots basic for this exercise as it was more of an experiment than anything 'proper'.Both me and Bilal filmed.

Karina ended up doing the editing although we all gave our own input as to what we would do with the footage.It was a pretty smooth process syncing up the clips and cutting them after we layered five or so tracks.After being a part of the editing last year and this year you definitely realise how tedious the whole process is.

Summary of Andrew Goodwins Theory and Vladimir Propp research

Andrew Goodwin's theory is a very general one that identifies key features in music videos.The main points of his theory are:

• The lyrics and visuals often relate to each other.This could either be in a metaphorical or literal sense.The visuals are connotative and reflect the mood and lyrics of the song.
• Repetition is a key tool in establishing your songs genre and tone to the audience.Repeating a key sequence or location makes understanding the video easier,especially when you have fast paced songs.
• Music videos always cover three different aspects; Amplification, disjuncture and illustration.
• The combination of music and visuals is a very simple concept but is very pleasing to your audience if done right.If the tone, mood and lyrics of the song work in harmony with the visuals, music videos are very pleasing to your audience.

Vladimir Propp

Vladimir Yakovlevich Propp (1895-1970) was a Russian and former Soviet scholar who is well known for analysing the basic structures of Russian folktales and breaking them down to their core narrative elements.His theory comprises of 31 narrative units which can be found here.In my opinion his theory does not really apply to the video I am looking at,which is 'Smack my Bitch up' by Prodigy. Although this is not your typical music video it shows how theories like Vladimirs and even Goodwins cannot be applied to everything.In the case of 'Smack my Bitch up' the fact that the video is filmed in a first person perspective automatically raises questions that contradict Vladimir's theory.One of the key themes in Vladimirs theory is that there are already set characters,which are:

1. The Villain
2. The Donor
3. The Princess or Prize
4. The father
5. The Dispatcher
6. The Hero
7. The false hero

In Prodigy's video, the roles of these characters are questionable because of the chaotic nature of the video.Do we treat the main character (the one who is giving us a view through his eyes) as a hero or the villain.Whilst he is certainly not a hero, I would not say he is the villain either.You may argue that he is just a regular person trying to have a fun night out and getting drunk in the process.I think Vladimirs theory may apply to basic narratives but when a video like 'Smack my Bitch up' shakes the formula up,almost on purpose, then you can tell that this theory has aged somewhat.

Analysing music videos-Lily Allen

The video is clearly told from the perspective of Lily Allen who narrates the video. This choice is clearly derived from the lyrics, which tell the story of Lilly and her ex-boyfriend and their relationship. The video starts off rather typically with some mid-long shots of Lily sitting down singing. However, the music video begins its own visual story as Lily gets deeper into the lyrics.The theme of the song is that Lily is the powerful one in the relationship between the two and that she calls the shots.This is illustrated by the fact that she pays people to beat her boyfriend up and rob him.

Compared to other music videos we have watched in class based around women, Lily has a very strong female role in this video. You get the feeling that she thinks she is above men, or at least her own ex-boyfriend. This point is particularly clear in the café scene where were the ex-boyfriend is shown in a frantic state, waving his arms about and generally making himself look like a fool. There is a shot reverse shot technique used here and in the next cut we get a mid shot of Lily just looked very bored and with a ‘whatever’ look on her face as she just sits there stirring her tea. Overall the video has a ‘payback’ feel to it with a touch of humour.

The genre of the video is not that clear because the song has elements of many different genres in. That being said, the video definitely has a British feel to it, which is almost a genre in itself. The locations in the video are very British, with the Café being one of the stronger shots in the video and a representation of British culture. Lily’s voice and accent as well is also an example of British representation. Whether the semi working class accent is being put on or is real, the video exaggerates the accent a lot by using a lot of close up shots as she lip syncs to the chorus.

Andrew Godwins Theory

The central points of Andrew Godwins theory on music videos:

• Music videos are based on repeitition as some music clips there are repetitive scenes and images that create an expectation for the audience to establish the genre.
• Music videos do not have a closure or ending.
• Music videos triggers a visual pleasure that is continuous which promotes the video
• There is three different aspects of music videos; Illustration, Disjuncture and amplification.

PRINCESS NYAH FT GRIMINAL & GHETTS - HOOLIGANS Anaylsis of music video

I have watched This music clip and looked at aspects which include of genre, narative mise en scene and iconography. The lyrics portrays the artist as a princess and she has an abundance of male fans which she is not interested which shows her class and posture towards males. Her costume is a revealing dress with high heels which establishes her partiying characteristic. The use of princess crown on her head relates to her name and once again portrays her high class status. We can consider the clip being stereotypical since it includes typical casual men going for a higher class female. Editing is up to beat with a grayscale effect which is not conventional to this kind of music however it gave a unique funky effect. The narrative was basic, based in a studio which princess seats as furnitures to establish a palace atmosphere. The genre is funky/hip hop and the artist portrays it well with the narrative and mise en sene.

Examples and analysis of videos that follow amplification, disjuncture and illustration

Example of Illustration:

Massari - Real Love
Tells the story of the lyrics it also tells the story through the events that happen.



Amplification:

Rihanna - Rude boy
This video adds layers of meaning as it symbolises a sexual meaning.



Disjuncture:

Tinchy Stryder ft Taio Cruz - Take me back
Video contradicts the lyrics as the video only shows women dancing.

Andrew Goodwins Theory

Main points on Andrew Goodwins theory on music videos:

Music videos rely on repetition as in music videos they repeat certain images that create an expectation of the viewer for the genre.

Music videos do not have a form of closure or ending.

Music videos provides a visual pleasure which encourages repeated viewing which promotes the music.

There are three types of relations between songs and videos: illusration, amplification and disjuncture.

Analyse of the video Tinie Tempah - Frisky

I have watched and analysed the video Tinie Tempah - Frisky. The genre is hip-hop as the image of the artist clearly shows this. The location is in a dark building, however the lighting is reflected on his face thorughout the video clip to make him stand out as he is the singer. He is highly stylised as he represents a typical hip hop artist. He is dressed in smart, casual clothing in jeans, white jacket, white shoes. He also wears glasses and an earring which symbolises his genre. The video symbolises the genre as there are women openly dressed around him which is in the forms of a typical hip hop video within the generic convention.