Alt-J (∆) Breezeblocks Analysis

When interviewed ALT-J (∆) said that the narrative behind the song is about "liking someone who want so much that you want to hurt yourself and them, as well. We related that idea to Where The Wild Things Are, which we grew up reading, where in the end the beast says 'Oh, please don't go! We'll eat you whole! We love you so!,' that they would threaten cannibalism to have that person - it's a powerful image."  

The first obvious thing about the video is that it is all in reverse. The editing of this makes the footage a lot more interesting and matches the theme of ALT-J (∆) being indie and of the original kind. 

The footage has a constant purple tint wash over it,this implies a deep meaning of emotion changing from what was once red love between the both male and female, going to a cold blue feeling as the love between them declines and the dangers increase. 

The change of cuts varies at times but majority of the time they change quickly and usually contain one or two seconds worth of footage within the shots. However, the actually footage is presented in slow motion. This conjunction of fast pace cuts and slow motioned footage helps create the feeling of confusion and paradox feeling of love which is break up and pain.

Poster Idea

The album poster has to be eye catching like the album cover. It has to make an impact and the audience should be able to realise who the band is without having to read the bands name. This can be achieved through eg. the use of the band/ artist's symbol. In my advert i have used Alt-J's iconic triangle shape to represent the 'A' of ALT-J 

Advert Idea

The album advert has to be eye catching like the album cover. It has to make an impact and the audience should be able to realise who the band is without having to read the bands name. This can be achieved through eg. the use of the band/ artist's symbol. In my advert i have used Alt-J's iconic triangle shape.

Album Art Work Idea

Within the album there has to be pictures that are to do with the song or continue the theme of the song. This is one of my pieces that I have created by using an original photo and then edited on Photoshop. The font (Revolution) was downloaded from dafont and then I added the triangle (Alt-J's symbol) to represent the A.

Album Covers Research

 The album cover is the eye catcher for a band/artist. This is what gets the audience's attention. Album covers usually consist of either a picture of the band/artist or their logo. If not they have some sort of concept art that can represent  or illustrate a song from the album.

Coldplay's album cover for Mylo Xyloto is interesting and intriguing as it is very simple yet very effective. The bleak background allows for the smudged paint like effect M and X to stand out making it the catch for the eye. The design also gives the colour the feature of depth.

Green Day's album catches the eye of it's audience because of its 

ironic concept art and the rich blood red colour in conjunction with the black and white. The album cover is ironic as it presents a heart (traditionally a representation of love) as a grenade (represents war and destruction) This conflict between the symbol shows that the music in this album is of the rebellious and hardcore type.

Muse's album for The Resistance attracts it audiences as it gives off a 3D effect through the use of shading of colour segments. The representation of travel is portrayed by this cover as their is a golden bridge that elongates towards the planet earth. This represents the music being new and coming to its audience instead of them finding it.  

This cover for Queen was and is still very effective  as when this originally came out it was so new and completely original from what had been around before. This is because it shows something from out of this world being the robot attacking and killing the band members. This was and still is today an iconic cover.

Album Cover Ideas

This image is my first initial idea of my album cover. I believe this would be effective as it is quite simplistic, but the black and grey give the image more depth. The arrangement of the hands give the impression and symbolism emotion and convey an idea of praying.

This is my second idea for my album cover.  This is a vast improvement from my first attempt. The look is already much better through the contrasts of the black and then the text looks more professional and suits the style. The image still provides the same impression and symbolism.

A2 Media Treatment

Frantic Assembly Inspiration

Frantic Assembly are a theatre stylist group who perform theatre through the use of mainly symbolic movements that represent or show a metaphoric meaning to a specific scene or line within it.

"THE VIBRANT AND VISCERAL FRANTIC ASSEMBLY" THE INDEPENDENT

My chosen song choice "Fitzpleasure" the lyrics of the song don't have a straight narrative to them. Instead it is a structure and conjunction of words that combine and form together to create almost like a trance.  I think that if I incorporate movements and dances based around the style of Frantic Assembly I'll be able to present this dream and trance like feel from the song. 

The video above is of an amateur couple who have also took inspiration from Frantic Assembly. Typically Frantic Assembly don't use props or very little amount. In my video I wouldn't be using props but this video shows how I would like my actors to move. E.g. Moving each other and using one another for support or control. The bleak faces will be appropriate for my video as well as I want my actors not show very little if not any emotion in their face. But only through their movements.

The actors often change the rhythm, I would like to take inspiration from this. So in my music video I will have moments where the shots will be show a sudden change of rhythm of the actors movements. 

Green Day - Wake Me Up When September Ends Analysis

The meaning behind the song of Wake Me Up When September Ends is actually about trying to get over the death of the leads singers father. But in the music it is about a young couple who want to stay together forever but the future of the male means that they breaks apart.

The beginning involves looking back at the fondest memories of theirs but is ended abruptly as the couple argue over the matter about the male joining the army so is due to leave soon.

The next load of camera shots are a conjunction of footage that includes the band performing on separate stage blocks, footage of the male in a war setting and then the female of the couple trying to cope with her loss of him leaving.

The video goes along with a couple of the Andrew Goodwin's theories of a music video. This music video contains demonstrations of typical genre characteristics. As this is a punk song the video conveys the struggles and deep darker emotions that are typical in punk music videos. The video also provides the audience with several close up shots of the band performing the song, which helps the record label sell the band. As well as this the video disjunctures so that the meaning of the song (Remembrance of the death of Billy Joe Armstrong's father) is completely ignored.

Songs Rights

When I first started my A2 course I originally wanted to use the song "One Night" by Ed Sheeran. Unfortunately I had no luck with getting any response from  his record label. Luckily I had a back up plan of using Alt-J's song Fitzpleasure. I was very lucky to be given permission as long as the YouTube video was to be private, which it shall be. 

Response for permission:

Hi Aiden,

Will the link on YouTube be private? If so you can go ahead as the usage is purely for educational purposes.

Joe.

Preliminary (The Rythm of the Heat)

This is my final product of my preliminary of the song The Rythm of the Heat by Peter Gaberiel

Preliminary Setup

Room Setup 

I recorded my preliminary footage within a single room using two different DSRL cameras which were both mounted on to tripods. The footage was recorded at night as the least amount of light was required, but also meant that the lightnings effects would be at full potential.

Kit List

·         Canon 6D DSLR (Full Frame) [Right hand side]

o   Canon 24-105mm F4.0 L USM lens

o   ISO 10000

o   Shutter Speed 125/s

·         Canon 60D DSLR (Crop Sensor) [Left hand side]

o   Canon 17-40mm F4.0 L USM lens

o   ISO 3200

o   Shutter Speed 40/s

o    

·         Shoot Mode

o   1920 x 1080 HD 25FPS

·         Media

o   SanDisk Extreme PRO 95MB/s Class 10 SD

Lighting

·         9 x LED bulb ‘White’ light lamp

o   Positioned approx. 900mm overhead directed directly down

·         3 x LED bulb ‘White’ light pen torch

o   Positioned on the floor angled upwards approx. 1600mm from subject

·         iPhone 6 Torch

o   Positioned approx. 2500mm from subject to flood the scene

Audio

·         Title: The Rhythm of the Heat

·         Artist: Peter Gabriel

·         Taken from the album: “Peter Gabriel 4” (1982)

Effects

·         Fogger

·         7 Shape single beam red laser

·         3 colour multi-beam laser – strobe

Software

·         Production: Final Cut Pro 10

·         Title Sequence: Motion 5

Audience Questionnaire

This is my audience questionnaire that shall show me what the favourite genres of music is as well as what audiences prefer to see within a music video.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/WCV5MY8

Thought Beats - Seeing the Sound in Our Heads

Andrew Goodwin shows that there are three main steps into the seeing of the music videos in our heads.  It is said that the first step is too identify the music itself. The understanding of the structure of the music needs to be took into account e.g. Chorus, verse, bridges etc. 

After the first identification has been made, next is the voice of the song. The voice of the artists is of a great importance and very unique; it can form an identification or some sorts of trademarks that work alongside for the star image. 

Lastly, Goodwin states the artist's mode of address. The artist can either be represented as the story teller of the narrative or be the form of communication within the story itself. So that they tell us the story through the lyrics or act alongside the meaning of the songs lyrics.

Andrew Goodwin Music Video Theory

Andrew Goodwin, a philosopher of music videos explored various types of  music videos and then was to write a book called "Dancing In the Distraction Factory". Within his book he states that there are five key aspects to a music video. Andrew Goodwin  identifies the key features that distinguish music by explaining that:

• Music videos more than often contain demonstrations of typical genre characteristics. Examples of this are if the video contains a dance routine, the video is to typically for a girl/boy pop band. Or a rap video will typically include flash cars, bling and women erotically dancing usually by pools. 

• Music videos frequently make reference to the notion of looking and the voyeuristic treatment of the body (mainly the female body). The notion of looking involves both men  and women being portrayed seductively or as they are making eye contact the audience by facing directly at the camera. However, the notion of looking can be reversed by the use of props. These props can be items such as mirrors, television screens and cameras. Voyeurism is widely used to sell the artist's music through their own sex appeal. A recent example of an artists would be Miley Cyrus through her representation of sex appeal in her video of "Wrecking Ball". In todays era of music videos voyeurism is slightly one sided. Typically it is mainly women who portray their sex appeal, very rarely is it a male doing so.

• When an artist is assigned to their record label, the record label tend to have demand on how the artist is presented on camera and to their audience. Eg. What type of shots and angles are used in the music video and what they should be wearing. Majority of the time the camera shots including the artist are often close ups that help sell the artist. These close ups are to make the artist's face memorable but also their style unique.   

• Quite often there is intertextual references to films, television programs, other music videos etc. These are things that the audience will be able to connect and make link with from both textual pieces. A prime example of this would be Will Smith's Men in Black used the the film franchise Men in Black. 

• The relation of visuals to the song. This is how the music video illustrates (The use of set of images to present the meaning of lyrics and genre) , amplifies( Similar to repeatability. Meaning and effects are manipulated and constantly shown through the video and drummed into our vision) and disjunctures (This is where the meaning of the song is completely ignored)