Music Video Research 11:Todorov Narrative Theory

Tzvetan Todorov's narrative theory suggests that all narratives follow a structure separated into three different parts, the first part consists of a narrative beginning with an equilibrium, where everything is happy and the characters are enjoying life and being their normal selves, a prime example of this is Michael Jacksons Thriller, this begins with Michael Jackson and his girlfriend watching a horror film at the cinema, Michael Jackson is enjoying himself and teasing his girlfriend for being scared and then they go for a walk, the equilibrium is in tact and everything is normal.

Stage 2 is where there is disruption of the equilibrium, when referring to Michael Jackson's Thriller, this is where corpses rise from the dead and walk the streets, this will be a clear problem even though the characters aren't aware of this yet.






Stage 3 is the recognition of the disruption, this is where the characters are aware of the problem and panic is often shown and the characters often show their emotions the most in the section of the narrative, in the case of the Thriller, this is where Michael Jackson and his girlfriend are circled by the zombies and they are scared for their lives and probably humanity.





Stage 4 is when someone attempts to restore a new equilibrium and repair the disruption that has been brought upon the characters, in the Thriller this occurs in effect when Michael Jackson wakes up his girlfriend from her nightmare.



The fifth and final stage is when equilibrium is restored, everything is back to normal and the disruption has left the narrative, in The Thriller this is when Michael Jacksons girlfriend has been awoken from her nightmare and she isn't been pursued by zombies and monsters. The brighter lighting also indicates a new equilibrium has been restored as the lighting reflects a more positive atmosphere.

• This influenced my planning and creativity as I have got a better idea of Todorovs narrative theory and can now identify it in a music video.
• I also like the distinctive costumes used in this video, I would like to use some costumes that stand out compared to the mainstream clothing as well.

Planning Group Post : Script Breakdown Location 5

Planning Group Post : Script Breakdown Location 4

Planning Group Post : Script Breakdown Location 3

Planning Group Post : Script Breakdown Location 2

Planning Group Post : Script Breakdown Location 1

Planning Group Post: Lyric Analysis

Group Post: TA Research 3

Check this out on Chirbit


This is our TA research post on Chirbit, this is a method of technology I have never used before. This therefore has influenced my research and planning as it has enabled me to have a wider range of skills using media technology.

Planning: Photoboard

Dominant colours: 
Yellow
Red
Black
Cream

These colours will help with the synergy in our music video, as one of the most dominant colours is yellow. This colour directly links with the lyrics of the video, as the title of the song is called 'Old Yellow Bricks.' The representation of joy and happiness within the colour can also be used when positive aspects in life are addressed through lyrics and visuals.
The red that is used within the props and the costumes  represent the danger, passion and sex appeal. The relation to Mulvey and the male gaze will be a theory that we will be adhering to with the colour and the voyeuristic costumes/movements, and we rely on the colour red  a lot in order to use this theory.

The use of black and cream in the shots are used to link to the lyrics which refer to nostalgia, and the thought that things were better back then. So we use these colours to try and represent this longing for nostalgia.
The black links more to the neutral/ earth tones within the costumes and the props/locations, as the dark colour links heavily to the rock overtones within the song that we can either pursue or ignore.

Costumes:

We used some contrasting costumes for both stars in order to show diversity and make the costume change meaningful. For example, the first costume on the male is a dark green/black costume which links more to the grungy/rock side of the song, and the neutral/negative parts of the song due to the darkness within the costume. We also have a slight costume change when the neutral shirt can be replaced with a black one, and during this, when we took photos we decided to give the star an aggressive expression and a vulgar gesture of the middle finger. Therefore, the dark dominant outfit can signify the negative and the aggressive side to the song.
We also have a navy/dark green flannel top which creates a more rural look for the male, however, we felt like the costume was missing something, and therefore, upon reflection, we will incorporate the red scarf in order for the singer's costume to tie in with the female's.
However, to contrast both of these costumes, we also asked the star to wear something yellow, which is the opposite of the dark outfits we have seen before. There is no back, as the colours that the star is wearing consist of yellow blue and brown. This can link to the more cheerful, hopeful lyrics and show the more content side of the star. We also decided to use the yellow in order to get the visuals to link with the lyrics (Goodwin's theory).

The female also has four costumes, which compliment the male's. The first costume consists of a Yellow jumper and a blue jean pinafore, which links to the male's yellow outfit. However, we will not have the two actors wearing yellow at the same time, as the costumes will clash too much and be too bright. I believe that we will use them when we would like to accentuate on one of the actors more than the other.
We also got the female actress to wear a red, voyeuristic outfit which will be used more when we would like to appeal to the female and the male audience (Mulvey)

Location :

Even though the rail road links to escapism we will be unable to use this location as it is illegal and highly dangerous. The path seen in the bridge image links to our target audience as this is seen of a sense of journey/travel, as our target audience are aspirers they seek travel and change. Many of the locations adhere to the conventions of indie as these are easily accessed places. Furthermore, the bridge and the alley way will give the music video a grunge/rock appearance, which we know the target audience like due to the questionnaire. We had decided on using more rural locations as we can access these and


Props :

We decided to use a red lipstick as this connotes danger, love and sex appeal which links to Mulvey's theory of the 'male gaze'. The yellow spray paint and paint links to the song title 'Old Yellow Bricks' as well as the costumes worn by the actors. Furthermore we plan on using the yellow paints in a rebellious and teen angst, which is used to portray youths in our music video.

Research TA 2 Analysis Flickr Group Post

Positive Comments:

• A much better exposure. Could you frame with the supports across the river?
• A lovely shot, it would make a great CU in the music video
• Like - no clutter in the background!
• A super, clean shot with just a little burn out from the flash. I like the diagonal composition.
• I love this shot - great for the MV, you could really get the l;ight to play around and flicker on and off the blade.
• The strength of this is the diagonal composition. You may be able to add artificial flare if you wanted to highlight such.
• I like the location but not sure about the plant and intrusion of the metal on the left.
• Excellent job of keeping the shadows out.
• A lovely shot - could be intriguing if you put blue screen in the mirror and then added the male star moving in it...
• I like this - two objects - two people/ stars - a couple!
• particularly like this one - but what about the partial plant? I presume that is intentional?
• A lovely shot - you could get this cropped on final cut prox into an ECU
• What about filming this and highlighting/ empahsising the 'forever' - would that work with your lyrics anywhere?
• Nice shadowless shot. Just need to photoshop out the top right corner.
• A lovely shot - i think you could film this - maybe where there are problems in the lyrics you could separate the cards and show them messy?
• I like this Medium shot pose however, she doesn't look very happy, she looks quite bored. I like the dungarees and mustard coloured top too - the make up is good on the female however, the male has very red eyes- perhaps some foundation is needed for him too.
• A lovely shot and i like the way her hair is blowing. Could be really nice cropped for use on the digipak
• I too like the hair blowing. She looks quite worried. A lovely shot
• A lovely expression and pose- could be good for the digipak. It may benefit from cropping.
• Really expressive - i love this shot. Cropping it to just below his hand would really draw their eyes into the shot and to the audience
• A great costume - i think this would be a good costume to use in the music video. She's not looking into camera which you need for promo materials so i wouldn't use it on the digipak or advert.
• A lighting issue here and quite aggressive. He looks washed out.
• This is somewhat better and has attitude. It depends really on what your intended/ preferred meaning is [Hall reception theory]
• That's a nice shot, i like the way he's leaning into her. Very subtle and well posed. It may work on a pane of the digipak
• 
  
• A lovely shot, nice angle and could be cropped to a great medium shot
• A great shot. Crop it to a medium close up perhaps as the house in the background is distracting
• Back to back shots can have all kinds of 'not seeing eye to eye' connotations. If they are singing, it might be easier for them if they stand in a slight V rather than fully back to back.
• I love this location and think it is really atmospheric. You could place your star in either light or shade. Is his name Jay?      

Negative:

• Are you planning on using this? is it disused? Remember it is illegal to trespass on used railway tracks!  
• The jacket/ costume on the male star isn't very effective - it looks too big for him. The lighting washes them out and expressions do not connote positivity.
• A lighting issue here and quite aggressive. He looks washed out.
• Strange pose and expression - quite off putting! 
• Why the back of a clock, the ornaments, the shield etc? There is a bike in the shot as well
• For a promo video - it's not very attractive.
• No. What age is your target audience?

Response to Positive:

From what can be seen here in the positive feedback we have received it is clear that our principle photography roughly adheres to the conventions of the Indie genre when looking at the comments and making comparisons to our music video research. I think all but one of the costumes used adhere to conventions of an Indie music and they also attract our TA. We have linked some of the costumes to semiotics and also used them to create synergy for the plans we have for the colour scheme on our digipak. In addition to this we also have reached out to our working class audience by having our artists wearing cheap, casual clothes. We also have a broad range of locations which has also received good feedback, we have a range of different locations that are urban, suburban, busy, abandoned, compact and out in the open so we have near enough ticked all of the boxes for this,  we can also link some graffiti at some locations which provides our TA with a small, extra story line within the narratives which may unfold some of the unknown. Some of the poses by our artists within the principle photography adhere to indie conventions yet they also begin to raise questions to the TA, e.g. Why does the female look confused and sad whilst staring into the distance?

Response to Negative:

The first negative comment highlights the fact that it is illegal to walk on train tracks as it is deemed as trespassing and dangerous, therefore we cannot use it in our vidreo which is a shame because we were going to use it as a discrete method to represent journey and how you can roughly predict what is in the near future, but cannot even begin to imagine the long term future. We think this would've been very effective when supporting the narrative towards the TA, we still intend to use it if we can get permission from the owners of a railway that is temporarily out of use in Louth.

The jacket also isn't effective on the male star in the image pictured above and this is understandable, it doesn't really have any colour towards it and looks bland and dead, this could be a reflection on the spirit of the male star in the narrative in the video however this could be portrayed more clearly using semiotics and linking it with clothing. The pose on the photo is also very off putting and I think it washes away the emotion and storylines in the narrative, therefore I agree with this and we will use another image of them for the behind the scenes images that portray them in a different light rather than what is shown on this image.     

Issues with Principle Photography

Today I went to various locations to carry out photo shoots so I had location shots for my principle photography, I took some very good shots, however, some issues stood in my way which resulted in me not being able to get every picture I wanted.
Firstly I could not get access to the abandoned building as it is under demolition therefore it is fenced off and too difficult and potentially dangerous to gain access.
Secondly, the church was locked so I was not able to attain interior shots, we still intend to film there but we will ask in advance if we can go to film so we don't come across this problem again.
Finally we also wanted an image of a well however, we did not know the location of one so we thought the best place to look would be the Brigg Garden Centre, after looking and asking around they no longer sell wishing wells so I had to leave empty handed with no shots there either.

Music Video Research 10: Instrumentals in Music Videos

Ian Brown - Keep What Ya Got

In the whole instrumental of the video location shots are used of an urban area, this seems to be breaking conventions as the artist is normally shown throughout doing something, these may be used to show the location of where the music video is going to be set.

 A caged fence is used here, it doesn't have a direct meaning however it could symbolise escapism, there also could be a reference to how trapped and restricted an urban lifestyle could be.

A time lapse is used here over the city of Manchester, this may be to show how quickly time passes however it also satisfies a Northern audience by using a Northern location in a video. As Ian Brown loves where he comes from he uses Manchester in a lot of his videos however there seems to be no hidden meaning behind his use of the city.





 
  Youth - Glass Animals

In the video of Youth by Glass Animals throughout the instrumental intro the two main characters are used, however they do not address each other, so it seems the intro is portraying the moments before they met, using the main characters in the intro also adheres to the conventions of an Indie music video. Scenic, outdoor locations are also used, this could be applying a sense of how free the youth are.

In the shot of the other main character during the instrumental intro a stressed woman at work is shown, she is at work and the fact she is indoors enhances the fact that the young boy outdoors is enjoying himself a lot more compared to the woman who looks to be portrayed as trapped. The woman is also wearing bright colours which could indicate inside she is a very bright and fun person, yet her fun spirit is overshadowed by stress from work and priorities of her everyday life. I think these shots are very effective as they already begin to unravel the theme of the video even though a lyric hasn't even been sung. This can also be linked to Camerons theory of Forking Paths, these two different story lines heavily contrast and although it is clear to see their current state it is quite implicit of how the outcome of the narrative will conclude.


 How this has influenced my planning and research:

• I really like how powerful semiotics combined with facial expressions can portray sadness and a sense of escapism in the latter video, it is very effective towards the narrative and this may be used in our music video
• I also like the time lapse of the skyline of Manchester, so much so that we have decided to put a time lapse of a skyline in our music video. 

Technology Trial 2: Final Cut Pro

On Final Cut pro X we learnt a lot about editing on the software throughout the lesson, we learned how to remove parts of the video using the blade tool, on top of this we also learned how to disable video and audio clips and overlay them.

We also learned how to apply generated gaps in the video which provides valuable space on the timeline without cutting the video short. This also provides you with more room for new clips that have been or need to be recorded.
A key part of the lesson was learning how to place markers on video clips and audio files which then allows you to sync them together.

Photos Posted to Flickr

I have posted my images on Flickr in order to receive feedback to see if my images capture the attention of my TA, if not I can use the feedback in my TA audience and make amendments.

Media Technology: Final Cut Pro X

To add the technological knowledge I developed last year using Adobe Photoshop 11, Blogger and other methods,. 

I now have learned basic skills on Final Cut Pro X. 

Firstly I had to ensure the external hard drive and memory card was showing up on the home screen.

Secondly, I had to click on the external hard drive to ensure that is where my work would belong as the Mac itself wouldn't have enough memory. 

I then had to create a new event to save my work into.

I also had to click on the reel, then the external hard drive, create a new project.

After setting my folder up I had to click on the import media box and import all of the videos me, Greta and Rhea took in the lesson beforehand.

I had to click optimized media, analysed for balanced colour and analyse and fix audio problems and then import all. 

I had to move the playhead to the point in the primary storyline or a selected storyline (or make a range selection) where I wanted to insert the clip. Then click edit and insert.

To attatch a soundtrack I needed to go to file - import media and select my external hard drive. Choose the mp3 file of the song and select and import it. 

In conclusion I have learned how to add videos into the studio, add an audio track, how to scrub and how to set up the file and the external hard drive.

Selection and Rejection: Principle Photography

 

This location is going to be used in our music video as it will be synonymous to some of the lyrics, we want it to fit the frame of the camera so if this was a little straighter this would be ideal, I would also remove the ornaments in the window as well as photoshop myself out of the frame.  

I also like this image as it is straight in using the camera when filming it could be very effective if the camera zooms in on the window, once again I just need to remove ornaments and myself from the frame.

I will not use his angle or this image, the angle doesn't complement the window and the reflections are very irrelevant and make the shot look even more unprofessional. 

This photo will possibly be used, I think this image is effective as the railway fades away, it can be represented to show times have changed, not necessarily for the best in some peoples minds, therefore being able to link it to post-modernism.

This image will not be used, it doesn't really have any meaning behind it, I used this image more to just show the surroundings.

This may be used as it shows a sense of journey as it could be perceived as a train's point of view, it also shows what's close in the distance, but what's further away is unknown, could be linked to a persons destiny. 

This image will not be used as it again doesn't really have meaning, it doesn't have much of a landscape or horizon and it doesn't really show journey like the other image of the tracks, it can't really be linked to anything and can't be used later on effectively to create synergy.

This image will not be used, it was mainly again just to show off the location found any other ideas to take pictures here and wanted me to go back, the photo doesn't show meaning, just the location.

An image like this will be used however as a group we have decided these cads look cheap and tacky, as a result of this we will use cards but we will use classic white ones, a better more plain or meaningful background will also be used.

Music Video Research 9: James Blunt - Heart to Heart

Genre: Pop/Pop-Rock
Style: Performance and Concept Based

James Blunt is looking into camera in the video, this convention can be heavily linked to Goodwin, it is imperative that an artist makes and eye contact with the camera and interacts with the audience in a promotional music video in order for it to be successful, it is also a convention to look into camera when singing in a music video and due to pop being the mainstream genre it is not a surprise James Blunt has adhered to this convention. 

Product Placement also plays a large part in this video which has become more of a convention for pop videos in recent years due to contracts and sponsorship's however, James Blunt's older music videos do not contain product placement so it shows how he has moved along with the new and modern conventions of music videos as time has. The fact it is a new piece of technology could also be reaching out to a younger target audience as technology is a huge part of youth culture, therefore James Blunt is clearly aiming to satisfy a wider audience as he already has an older existing audience. 

He also uses an undercranked background throughout this whole video, this may be representing how quick time passes without realising or making reference to living in the moment. This once again is an advance in the technology by speeding up the background of his video whilst he is moving in real time and singing in real time. Although the video doesn't necessarily have a concept I think it is making a comment on how everyone is theirselves and the world just flies by with every individuals daily routines. 

The shot of these train tracks is very effective as I think it shows a sense of journey and it could be making references to escapism and post modernism in the way that people aren't hay with living in their era and they wish they lived in a different time. The fact that on the video it also is extremely sped up it may also be making reference to how life is a journey and how quickly the journey goes by. The lyrics when this shot appears includes the phrase "Guides me to wherever you fall", as train tracks are a method of transportation this makes reference to finding your destiny.

Pictured right is an interracial homosexual couple, it could be said that James Blunt is trying to appeal a wider audience by adding different ethnic groups and sexual groups to the video. Although the phone will be heavily linked to product placement, I also believe this couple taking a selfie could be seen as narcissists as they are almost admiring themselves by taking the photo that contrasts with James Blunt who faces the phone camera away from him when taking a video as if he is ashamed to look at himself due to his clear insecurities that are portrayed in the lyrics and by his facial expressions matching the lyrics. The emotion on James Blunt's face is also clearly intend to be noticed as there are repeated close up/extreme close up shots of his facial expressions to portray his emotion.

It could also be said that the narrative throughout this video could be linked to Cameron's theory of Forking Paths, for example James Blunt in this video is clearly insecure about losing his girlfriend as he pulls nervous faces whilst the lyrics sing "I lie awake at night and worry for a while" however on the other hand he is very demanding and passionate in singing "You and I won't part til we die" and "we see eye to eye, heart to heart" almost as if he is adamant that he is going to stay with this girl for the rest of his life when in real fact these two story lines contrast so much that the outcome to the narrative is not clear.

In the video when he sings the line including the word "Halo" the background is very shiny, almost as if an urban heaven is trying to be displayed, this could be stressing how he is in 'heaven' when he is with his girlfriend. Although it could be a bit too implicit, he may be trying to appeal to a religious audience also possibly making reference to his religious beliefs through his music.

In the video James Blunt isn't really dressed like a pop musician he is just dressed in casual clothing and this therefore breaks Richard Dyers theory of representation as he is breaking the conventions of dressing in modern/mainstream clothing e.g. Adidas.

Planning Post: Photography

On Tuesday the 26th of September I will go down to the Railway near my house in Brigg in a rural area that we may use for our music video, it is surrounded by trees and it looks secluded, which can make a lot of references to the lyrics in our song, I will take several different shots at the different angles in order to decide whether it is certain we will use this location in our music video.

Planning Post: Organising Principle Photography

Group Post Research: Lyric Analysis

Group Post - Planning: Beat Script

The general concept of our music video is romanticising nostalgia. Instead of being a stereotypical narrative, this video will be exploring the concept of utopia and how the modern day life is dissatisfying to young people.
Intertextuality will be referenced by mentioning The Wizard of Oz as some of the lyrics refer to Dorothy and yellow bricks being the yellow brick road.
The video will involve the singer just as much as the actress, as they both hold similar significance within the music video.
The actors will express their dissatisfaction with the modern day life through symbolism and through facial expressions/acting and body language.
The video will begin with opening credits and the title slide of the song. The colour yellow will be implied throughout the video in small aspects as this is the symbol of intertetxtuality.
Whenever the star image will be shown in the music video, a large amount of the shots will be closeups/ medium closeups as this displays the star to the audience and helps build a relationship between the audience and the rising star.

Treatment for our Music Video

Music Video Research 8: Locations in Indie Music Videos

I believe the location of an abandonded building will be very good for the theme of our music video and it is also accessable to me, Greta and Rhea as I can drive and I know several spots like this, we have made a lot of plans to use an abandoned building and I think they are very good to enhance post modernism in a video, I think it shows how people are going to abandoned places to try and remenisce the past and feel a thought of escapism, when in reality, the past wasn't that great. Abandoned, damaged buildings are not normally used in Indie music videos so this is not only breaking conventions but it is also linking to Steve Neale's theory that 'difference is essential to the economy of the genre' however artists like Ed Sheeran use run down buildings in their music videos and drain the coour to show the state the world is in and make links to postmodernism.  

This location can be easily recreated near the Humber Bridge, I think this image is simply aesthetically pleasing and it shows a couple having fun living an enjoying life in front of a beautiful landscape. Due to the people we are using in this video this could also be easily recreated, having an iconic location like the Humber Bridge in the background could also capture a Northern audience as well as the audience we already aim to satisfy (17/25). The behaviour of this young couple among the landscape also relates to youth culture as a lot of young couples in love try to live a dream like the people on this image.

A location similar to this is also easily accessable to me and I think it would work in our video as it shows a sense of exploration and it carries a hidden meaning relating to youth culture (our TA) who at their teen age are starting to explore new things and find out who they really are, it also can simply make relevance that young people like to live a life of exploration and they are having fun together in new, different locations and surroundings.