Proposal

"DAMN" Ideas Mood board

 

Auteur Theory: Declan Whitebloom

 

One of the videos we have used a lot for our music video idea so far is Taylor Swift's "We are never ever ever getting back together." This video was directed by Declan Whitebloom so I decided to look for some more videos by him to compare using the auteur theory.

The videos are:
We are never ever ever getting back together-Taylor Swift
Trouble-Bei Maejor
Ivan Gough and Feenixpawl ft Georgi Kay-In My Mind

I noticed many similarities between these videos, and other similarities between at least two:

Declan Whitebloom and Taylor Swift

 All of the videos begin with slower, establishing shots. Taylor Swift's video is a one-shot video, but the first shot pans and turns from the city landscape on the side of the set to Taylor's bedroom. Bei Maejor's video opens with slow panning shots of imagery such as empty bottles and people sleeping on the floor to signal that the video is set in a house after a party and give the video it's sexy, smooth and chilled out feel. The Ivan Gough video has faster establishing shots but long shots of people skating are used to establish the skateboarding theme, and these shots are quite long compared to the rest of the video.

Establishing Shot

Whitebloom seems to utilise quite stylised ideas e.g slow motion, one shot videos and split screens. His videos are certainly not simple shot for shot videos.

Iconography/Design important eg: 

• Taylor’s house has old fashioned but modern look to it=Similar to her modern country style.
• Bei maejor= Fake tigers, Union Jack flag, big house, cars, girls etc. Gritty British feel, with a "keeping it real"  shabby effect-3d glasses, old tv.

• 

  Bei Maejor and J Cole

 
• Ivan Gough=sun drenched, sunglasses, flat caps, sunglasses, palm trees etc. Californian Lifestyle. Wind farm and extreme city track, give idea of space, freedom.
• Lots about artist identity and selling lifestyles.

He uses bright colour grading, highlights bright colours in all videos. Gives videos a sharp, vibrant, modern look.

Red and yellow bright colours are highlighted

 

Whitebloom likes to create disorientating effects in his videos, which confuse the viewer but draw them in and which demand repeat viewings. For example:

 

• Intimate CU’s to create intimacy/ Voyerurism-Bei Maejor and Ivan Gough

• Upside down/Sideways camerawork or performer upisde down- at at least one point in all of them

•  Jumping between long shots close ups-Ivan Gough

• The one shot, how did they do it effect-Taylor Swift.

My Music Presentation

What music means to me

 

 

Generally when I get asked what music I like, I have a mind block and end up reciting the same bands I did about 8 years ago-Green Day, The Killers, Gorillaz, or along those lines.

I think it's because when you ask someone that kind of question there's too much to get across, and when you have so much to choose from you end up freezing up and not really answering at all.

 

So in this task I made sure to actually think about what songs and artists I really do like. A quick flick through the iTunes library and you realise there is a lot more then you think.

 

I've wittled it all down to these four songs, that represent three different stages in my life.

 

Childhood:

 

Wonderwall -Oasis

 

 

 

 

 

Apparently when I was born mid-nineties the big chart battles were between Britpop bands Blur and Oasis. I didn't hear the song Wonderwall until about 2001 when I was at a family wedding. My older cousin sang this song and since then whenever I listen to it it brings me back to that time.

 

 

Younger Teenage Years:

 

I Don't Care-Fall Out Boy

 

This song came out when I was about 14. I really liked it, probably because of the lyrics, and when I having a bad day, it just made me feel better about things. It probably ties in with the rebellious feelings you start to get in your early teenage years as well.  

 

Lizstomania-Phoenix

 

I saw Phoenix at the iTunes Festival in 2010 which is a lot more recently. I didn't know the band at all, and only went because they were free tickets. However the concert was amazing and really intimate and I especially like this song, mostly because of its feel good factor and because it reminds me of the concert.

 

Now:

 

Frank Ocean-Pyramids

 

I went on holiday a few weeks ago and downloaded Frank Ocean's album to bring with me because I'd been hearing good things about it. I've heard it described as "hipster R&B" which I think sums it up quite well. It sounds really fresh and the songs are really well-written. As well as that it now brings me back to that holiday feeling. This song is a 9 minute epic song that spans lots of different genres of R&B across it.

 

How I listen to/ discover music:

Generally I prefer to listen to music on my own through headphones but I do occasionally go to concerts (hence the Coldplay T-shirt I am wearing as I present this) although I keep failing to plan in advance for festivals-hopefully this summer!

 

Generally I don't really make an effort to seek out music. Basically if I hear a song either on the radio, youtube, on TV, at a party, or by word of mouth and like it, then I'll keep listening to it and maybe become a fan.

 

I am open to most music genres, except probably from metal, but tastes can change over time!

 

 



Love Sex Magic Ciara ft Justin Timberlake Gender Representation

One aspect of our music video idea is to have lots of attractive women in a bar flirting woith our two artists. Watching this video between Ciara and Justin Timberlake has given me some ideas on how we could represent gender, and the interaction between them, in our video.

In this video Ciara is seen as having a certain power over Justin  Timberlake as in the extreme CU's of them both he is the one moving down her face and she seems to be teasing him by licking his ear. The CU's give this sense of voyuerism and convey what Justin must be feeling. This shows Ciara in control which subverts stereotypes.

However later on certain stereotypes are reinforced when the curves of her body are highlighted by the lights and certain body parts like her breasts at 0:43. This is cut with fades of Justin watching which objectifies Ciara, like he is dancing for her pleasure.

Later on Justin sits on a chair while Ciara dances on the floor for him. Her costume such as the high heels and lacy costume are revealing and highly sexualised. Justin is at a higher level than her which puts him in a position of power. Therefore some may see it as quite a degoratory portrayal of women.

Chosen Song: "Damn"

After a lot of debate our group has decided to make a music video for the song "Damn" by Styles of Beyond and Michael Buble.

We like the old school hip-hop genre and this one has a particularly retro vibe due to Michael Buble which we could play on a lot with a jazz band, spotlights and tap danving however make it mordernised and integrated with hip-hop conventions and street dance.

We can also create a stong artist identity, similar to Rizzle Kicks, of two guys, although in this band one is a singer, one is a rapper. We could also be competition to the other group, whose artist identity are two new girls on the scene.

Prelim Evaluation

1. Did you enjoy the workshop day? What were your best bits and why?
I really enjoyed the shoot. It was really interesting to see the ways a music video is shot particularly in terms of all the camera equipment such as the crane and the track which I had never seen people working with before. I also enjoyed performing in the video with Raef and Natasha, and the whole team working on it were all really collabarative and friendly so it was a really fun experience to be a part of. Harrison and Jazzi were great directors and bought out the best in all our performances.

2. What did you learn from participating in the workshop?
I learnt a lot about how a music video is shot. All the different set-ups are shot from many different angles, andthere are master shots that are shot all the way through to create a performance bed. Although this was a remake, so we were looking to get specific shots we did shoot many different set-ups throughout the whole song to pick out all the bits we needed. I also learnt about the organisation needed, and the effort that needs to be put into props, costumes and make-up to form part of the artist identity.

3. Are you pleased with the footage and your edit? Is it how you expected it to look?
I am very pleased with our edit as it matches the video and looks very professional. The main performance by Natasha is amazing and the rapping bits and puppets are also great. The special effects shots such as the moving leg on the floor and the cocunut man are eye-catching and the way the video cuts to the beat makes it infectious and draws in the audience.

4. How do you think your workshop experiences will impact on your approach to next term's music video coursework?

Now I know what makes a good music video, and how to shoot and edit it, I will be able to come up with my own ideas that I know will be simple and effective. After seeing the facilities we have available, I will able to base my ideas around this. Time restraints were also an important factor on the day and I will bear this in mind when I shoot my music video. I also know what looks effective as part of a video, from going through the footage and choosing the best clips. I saw the theory we have been learning into practice such as Andrew Goodwin's theory of lyrical interpretation put into use with lyrics such as "Heels so high" while Natasha pointed to her shoes. This is a literal interpreatation of the lyrics as compared to a amplification or contradiction.