Planning: Ideas from music videos
I found this video on youtube when searching for ideas, I really like the concept of it, it is similar to the style I want to have in my video (Abstract) I like the use of the ink in the water and this is something I think i might include in my videos, I like the use of it being in black and white however I don't think i'll have mine in black and white but i may wash the colour out slightly
I like the use of ink in this one too, I like how it is overlaid with the clip of the sky, It is very similar to something I want to do as well, I am interested in using slow motion for my video
Planning: Dynamics graph for chosen song
Here is a graph to show the intensity/dynamics of my chosen song, from this i can see that there are many different changes in the song, this means that there are plenty of oppurtunities to 'cut to the beat' the song sunds very experimental and there are a lot of different noises in it mixed with melodic vocals, the song fades out in the end so i can still have a calm ending
Planning: Analysing Lyrics of Chosen Song
Below are the lyrics to my chosen song; Dissolve me by Alt-J
Now dissolve me, two tabs on your tongue
A herd of shepherds to herd the sheep, sleep now my only one
Broken sweethearts who sleep apart
Both still pine for the other's side spine, spoon as sleep starts
And pulse to pulse, now shush
She makes the sound, the sound the sea makes to calm me down
I am see-through, soap sliver you're so thin
As I begin rubbing lathers up your state worsens on my skin
And gold, fatless finger to lip, one two three four hush
And pulse to pulse, now shush
She makes the sound, the sound the sea makes to calm me down
She makes the sound, the sound the sea makes. I'm tired now
Oooohhhh, Oooooooooohhhhh, Oooooooohhhhhhhh, Oohhh, Oooooooooohhhhhhhhhhh
She makes the sound the sea makes, knee-deep in the North Sea [8x]
I feel like this song is definately about his struggle to sleep and remembering how his mother would 'calm him down' My initial thoughts about the first line was that the song may have been about some sort of drug trip, but reading into it a bit more i think they may be a reference to sleeping tablets, dissolving on his tongue which cause him to 'count sheep' in an attempt to help him sleep. I feel that the first verse if a memory of his mum and how he misses her helping him sleep and how they used to spoon as he started to sleep. 'Pulse to pulse, now shush' also reoresents his mother putting him to sleep or how they would lay together.
'She makes the souns the sound the sea makes' is a direct memory from the singer, it is him telling us exactly what his mother used to do- because of this line i would like to give my video a sea theme
The 2nd verse is a bit obscure and at first impressions it doesnt seem to fit, however it may show that she might have been ill 'you're so thin' and that he was taking care of her, the use of 'gold' here suggests that she might be wearing a wedding ring, 'one, two, three, four, hush' would be the last thing she says to him before he sleeps and so it is the last line in the last verse.
The dynamics and tone of the song give the impression that they are replicating the behaviour of the sea as sometime its peaceful and calm and other times it is rough and fast paced, towards the end of the song it starts to calm down, this reflects him going to sleep and finally feeling at ease when he has his mother by his side
'She makes the souns the sound the sea makes' is a direct memory from the singer, it is him telling us exactly what his mother used to do- because of this line i would like to give my video a sea theme
The 2nd verse is a bit obscure and at first impressions it doesnt seem to fit, however it may show that she might have been ill 'you're so thin' and that he was taking care of her, the use of 'gold' here suggests that she might be wearing a wedding ring, 'one, two, three, four, hush' would be the last thing she says to him before he sleeps and so it is the last line in the last verse.
The dynamics and tone of the song give the impression that they are replicating the behaviour of the sea as sometime its peaceful and calm and other times it is rough and fast paced, towards the end of the song it starts to calm down, this reflects him going to sleep and finally feeling at ease when he has his mother by his side
I thought it would be a good idea to tweet Gus-Unger Hamillton, The keyboardist for Alt-J, just to try and find out what the initial interpretation for the song was
Here is the song on sound-cloud;
On this track, Alt-J have commented the meaning behind the song and I thought it was such a nice meaning and I wouldn't have known if they didn't say because it is a personal thing, here it is (Read in reverse);
- "Alt-J frontman Joe Newman recalls in this song a childhood bedtime ritual where his mum would lull him to sleep by making ocean noises.
- Many fans have interpreted the line "two tabs on your tongue" to be about acid, but that is not the case. Newman explained to NME that he, "imagined a pill that you could take that would dissolve a memory of someone."
- The song ends with the lyric "knee-deep on the North Sea," which is a reference to jazz outfit Portico Quartet's Mercury Prize-nominated debut album. Newman explained to NME: "The title song ("Knee-Deep in the North Sea" ) is the best song of the noughties. They were such a huge influence."
Taken from songfacts.com
Independant research: Further information
I decided that it would be a good idea to gain some more information about Alt-J before I did any filming so I began searching...
http://www.altjband.com
https://www.facebook.com/altJ.band
https://twitter.com/alt_J
@Alt_J @Gusunger
They can also be found on soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/alt-j
http://www.altjband.com
https://twitter.com/alt_J
@Alt_J @Gusunger
They can also be found on soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/alt-j
Research: Audience research
The following is a survey that I have created in order to gain more information on what I could create for my music video, I hope that I will gain a range of results so that I can make my video more appealing to my target audience
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/
Research and Planning: Demographic and Psychographic
In order to advertise music by Alt-J i need to ensure that i know the correct audience for them, to do this i am going to research the demographic and psychographic information
Demographic: This is quantitative data, this includes thing such as;
Demographic: This is quantitative data, this includes thing such as;
- Total size
- Gender
- Geographic distribution
- Age
- Household composition
- Education level
Psychographic: this is qualitative data, this includes things such as:
- Magazine preference
- Food preference
- Activity level
- Hobbies
- Sports and teams followed
Research and Planning: Brief Textual Analysis of a Music Video
1) Name of Artist?
Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys
2) Title of song?
Leave Before The Lights Come On
Leave Before The Lights Come On
3) Date of release?
14th August 2006
14th August 2006
4) Director of video?
John Hardwick feat. Kate Ashfield (Shaun of the Dead)
John Hardwick feat. Kate Ashfield (Shaun of the Dead)
5) What genre of music does this fall into?
Alternative/Indie
Alternative/Indie
6) Is there a relationship between lyrics and visuals in the song?
I think in some ways the lyrics could be linked to the visuals, To me, the song is about a man with a partner, during a night out at a bar, he and another pretty girl exchange some words. "my friend fancies you, what a way to begin it all"... and then, of course, they end up in bed together, the next morning, before the girl wakes up and the lights in the room go on, the man ducks out, "quick let's leave before the lights come on... so that you don't have to see what you've done."- the video hints that perhaps these people had a one night stand, only the female felt more than the male and craves for the affection but becomes suicidal and psychotic when she does not get it.
I think in some ways the lyrics could be linked to the visuals, To me, the song is about a man with a partner, during a night out at a bar, he and another pretty girl exchange some words. "my friend fancies you, what a way to begin it all"... and then, of course, they end up in bed together, the next morning, before the girl wakes up and the lights in the room go on, the man ducks out, "quick let's leave before the lights come on... so that you don't have to see what you've done."- the video hints that perhaps these people had a one night stand, only the female felt more than the male and craves for the affection but becomes suicidal and psychotic when she does not get it.
7) Is there a relationship between the music and the visuals?
Slightly, there are often cuts in time with the music which help to emphasis the plot
Slightly, there are often cuts in time with the music which help to emphasis the plot
8) What is the importance of the artist in the visuals?
The artist is not included in the video until the end where Matt Helders (Drummer) is scene walking under the woman when she drops her shoes which indicates that this is going to happen again as she is trapped in an infinite loop of obsession
The artist is not included in the video until the end where Matt Helders (Drummer) is scene walking under the woman when she drops her shoes which indicates that this is going to happen again as she is trapped in an infinite loop of obsession
9) Is there any voyeurism in the video?
No
No
10) Does the video have any intertextuality?
11) What is the mixture in the video between performance and narrative?
The whole video is narrative as it is telling a story about a woman with a need for affection and her struggles while trying to receive it from a man who is not interested in her, it is then revealed to us at the end how this is a recurring thing for her. There is no performance from the band, this is common in many of the older music videos from Arctic Monkeys.
The whole video is narrative as it is telling a story about a woman with a need for affection and her struggles while trying to receive it from a man who is not interested in her, it is then revealed to us at the end how this is a recurring thing for her. There is no performance from the band, this is common in many of the older music videos from Arctic Monkeys.
Research and Planning: Andrew Goodwin's 6 Features Of Music Videos
In his book Dancing in the Distraction Factory Andrew Goodwin points out characteristics and features that can be found in music videos
1) Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics. (E.g. stage performance in metal videos, dance routine for a boy/girl and, aspiration in hip-hop)
2)There is a relationship between music and visuals. The lyrics are represented with images (either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting)
3)There is a relationship between music and visuals. The tone and atmosphere of the visual reflects that of the music (Either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting)
4)The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist may develop motifs which recur across their work (a visual style)
5)There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens within screens, mirrors, stages, etc) and particularly voyeuristic treatments of the female body.
6)There are often intertextual reference (to films, Tv programs, other music videos etc).
Research and Planning: Music Videos
In our research we have been looking at various music videos as a way to promote an artist, below are some of my favourite music videos.
Alt-J - Fitzpleasure, Breezeblocks
I picked these 2 videos as they are both intriguing to watch, 'Fitzpleasure' confuses the audience in a disturbing manner which makes you want to watch it more, this is a good way to promote the artist as they often want to explore reasons for this, 'Breezeblocks' is my favourite out of the two because I feel that it shows a dramatic story just by playing the clip backwards, it also creates suspense as you want to know how it all started, I also like how the song is in time with various movements that are included in the clip, this is something i would like to experiment with when creating my own music video
Arctic Monkeys - When The Sun Goes Down, Fluorescent Adolescent
The White Stripes - Fell In Love With A Girl
I picked this video as another one of my favourites because I like the look of stop animation, I feel that it is a very creative method to use, I also like how the Lego is used to show the band members and this clearly shows that skill and time have been put into making this video, by showing the band members i feel that this promotes the band well, however it's still somewhat irrelevant to the lyrics
I picked this video as another one of my favourites because I like the look of stop animation, I feel that it is a very creative method to use, I also like how the Lego is used to show the band members and this clearly shows that skill and time have been put into making this video, by showing the band members i feel that this promotes the band well, however it's still somewhat irrelevant to the lyrics
Bon Iver - Wash, Holocene
I absolutely love all of the videos by Bon Iver because I feel that they somehow make us appreciate nature with a mellow tone and calm imagery. I like 'wash' because it is a continuous take and I feel that this makes the video appear somewhat realistic and yet you are captivated and have to watch on, Despite it still being slightly irrelevant to lyrics, out of these two videos my favourite is 'Holocene' because it tells a story and I feel that it really captures the beauty of nature with an element of fun. Both videos often have moments where sections are in time with a beat, but also ones which aren't in time, which i feel is a good technique to use as it allows time for us to focus of both the song being played and the film being used, I feel that if a song has a good video it is more likely to be remembered than one that doesn't so this makes it a very good way to promote an artist
I absolutely love all of the videos by Bon Iver because I feel that they somehow make us appreciate nature with a mellow tone and calm imagery. I like 'wash' because it is a continuous take and I feel that this makes the video appear somewhat realistic and yet you are captivated and have to watch on, Despite it still being slightly irrelevant to lyrics, out of these two videos my favourite is 'Holocene' because it tells a story and I feel that it really captures the beauty of nature with an element of fun. Both videos often have moments where sections are in time with a beat, but also ones which aren't in time, which i feel is a good technique to use as it allows time for us to focus of both the song being played and the film being used, I feel that if a song has a good video it is more likely to be remembered than one that doesn't so this makes it a very good way to promote an artist
Research and Planning: Dave Grohl's speech
South By Southwest (SXSW) 2013 Keynote Speech in Full
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)