Question 4: How did you use new media technologies in the construction and research, planning and evaluation stages?
Our Edit Suit & Equipment
Reflections
As I was designated the research and planning for this question, I lead it and probably make the most points, however the whole group contributed in this clip to the discussion about the use of new media technologies. We cover all the platforms we used (internet, Premier Pro, Photoshop etc.) and talk about them quite thoroughly, so I would say we've answered this question well.
Question 3: What have you learned from your audience feedback?
Reflections
We highlight that our audience feedback was very positive, and I am happy that I pointed out the drawbacks of our products (ie. the confusion of the concept and narrative, there should have been more narrative at the end, it was slightly long.)
Question 1: In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?
Reflections
I thought this question went well on the whole, and my contribution was fairly equal to the other members of my group. I thought me and Amelia's conversation about the conventions of a music video, and theorists Goodwin and Vernallis, worked particularly well.
I also make it clear (in Part 2 of 1) that I thought we should have made the idea of the 7 Deadly Sins clearer to the audience, which is something I'll still think is a drawback of our video. I'm glad this comes across in the evaluation.
We attempted to get the rights to use the track from Sony BMG, but they never got back to us. After putting it on youtube, the record label authorised it (an advert for the track on iTunes comes up every time the video is played) so it's all fine.
I was in charge of Q4 for our evaluation, so here are my notes:
Technology:
• Sony HD DV camera + microphone
-Upgrade from last 'film' project. The high-quality allowed us to explore that glossy element of dance music videos, and worked with all the effects we were using. We needed high quality because on a lot of our shots we had to zoom in.
• Mini DV tapes • Blogger.com
-The easiest, quickest way to record information, photos and plans. We also communicated with each other often on Blogger: if there was a problem, we could tell the gorup via the blog.
• Adobe Premiere Pro
-Utilised a lot more tools than last project - used "Image Control" and "Colour Correction" to turn shots black and white, up brightness and contrast on EVERY shot, take out or highten certain colours so all the shots matched. We used "motion" to zoom in and re-frame shots so there was less blank white space in some shots. We also experimented with transitions....We use dissolves as well as jump cuts to mix up pace at corresponding times to the music. We sped up/slowed down/reversed/repeated many shots using the "speed/duration" tool to give the video an "unnatural" and quirky, jumpy feel.
• Photoshop
-I drew band name "The Vixens" and graffitied one of the inside faces of the digipack with our band names, and this was scanned into photoshop where we coloured it and outlined everything in black.
• Lights (PAG and tall ones)
-Tall lights gave it a glossy look. We needed all the lights in the department because we wanted a very bright video that we could highly contrast in the edit.
- PAG got rid of shadows in bedroom scene, but weren't useful on the day of shoot. also we didn't charge them - wasted time and baggage (something to improve on for next time - always check if we actually need equipment).
-Didn't use Tall lights in bedroom
• Myspace.com • HTML codes
-Some people in group adapted HTML codes from other Myspaces (tried "Girls Aloud", and "The Electric Flowers") to make our own, which invloved chopping bits out/adding bits in (???) so that we could have a banner featuring our pictures and band name.
• Internet (research) • Google.com • Youtube.com
-Audience feedback
-Can see immediately if is successful: are people watching it, rating it, commenting on it?
-Viewed other videos constantly for research and reference for certain shots and styles of editing.
We decided that, for the inside face of our digipack, where the CD would sit, we should graffiti our names into a design. We liked this idea because it makes us more relatable and normal, like down-to-earth girls that doodle like everyone else. I was designated the job of drawing the graffiti, and this is what I came up with. I put in little details such as the martini-cocktail glass , stars, an eye and a heart, and made the writing for all our names different in some way, to show our different personalities.
The Video We are getting on really well with out video....We've begun putting in effects such as "colour correction" (Brightness & Contrast, Adding/taking away blue, green or red shades) and "image control" (gamma correction), to get rid of things like shiny faces, bland background, dull colours, and just to generally make the footage look as high quality as possible. But we will properly grade it nearer towards the end
We are also currently experimenting with reversing/repeating/chopping up shots to make them look weird and quirky, sometimes with the beat and lyrics and sometimes against it. So far, this has worked really well and gives our video a surprising edge. Otherwise, I think it would be a boring video, as there is only one location, excluding the narrative.
Overall, as far as the video is concerned, I'm really happy with how it's going. We should be on target for the deadline and we only have a few gaps to fill in.
The Digipack and Myspace
Because we've been so focused on the video, we've kind of forgotten that we have two other practical tasks to complete for the same deadline!...: The album cover (digipack) and the myspace (website). We need to start these projects!
After much debate, we have decided to call ourselves...
THE VIXENS
This is because we think "Vixens" has sexy, womanly connotations, implies that we have personality and are strong minded as well as sexy, and fits with our song (Voodoo Child, by Rogue Traders), which is about women taking control of their man
We brainstormed names for us as the band members and this is what we came up with:
Heidi Woods
Amelie Rose
Alexa
Mina
Cali Rose
Romy
Cleo
Leila
These names have nature connotations, which we liked: it makes us girly and relatable.
We discussed jobs that needed to be completed , ie. capturing footage from shoot, filling in free-charts, editing the beginning-and-end narrative.
We have begun the beginning and end, and this is starting to look good, but our only drawback is that we think it may be too long. We have done two versions: one with the music and one with none, as an actual beginning narrative. We will decide on this later.
...Was shot in my mum's room for the beginning and end of the video. We managed to get a range of shots and experimented with angle and cutting points so we have a variety of shot types to choose from.
However, I found this shoot really stressful and tense and am glad we don't have to shoot anything else.
Our shoot was really successful! We got all the footage we needed plus more hand-held, quirky stuff. Here are some more backtage snapshots of my role on the day:
These are some backstage photos from the shoot, which I put on facebook but are good for evidence of how we worked on the day, the equipment, and the amazing studio we were working in.
Me and Laura working the camera and clapperboard...
Laura and Amelie on camera: Amelia trying to corrupt Laura with her "Greed" personality
Our make-up artist, Suzi, making up Charlotte as her sin, "Lust", in our dressing room
Laura shooting Charlotte as her sin, playing with the locket.
Good examples, Holly - but where is the analysis? Close semiotic analysis is a requirement of A2. There are further guidance questions on the main MV blog.
1. Institutional/ reference info -Which video are you analysing, who is it by, and who directed it.
"What Goes Around Comes Around" by Justin timberlake, directed by Samuel Bayer.
-What genre does the music belong to and what broad characteristics of that genre does the video have?
The genre is pop.
2. What is the relationship between lyrics and visuals?
The music video is shot as a film, and indeed a 9 minute version was filmed with a lot of narrative at the beginning, and for this reason the director chose to film performance and narrative in quite a separate way. Justing Timberlake in performing the song in the same setting with a lot of expression and emotion on a stage, but the narrative of the video is not based on specific lyrics but rather the idea of her tendency to do stupid things, cheat on him, and her warped mind that leads to him having to save her. For exaple, her jumping in the pool and causing a car crash is not mentioned in the lyrics, but "What goes around...comes all the way back around" implies her down-fall.
There are some specific lyrics-visual conenctions, however. During the chorus..."what goes around"... we see the dancers (during his peformance) spinning hoops around their waists. During the narrative, he does not lipsync (as, again, it is shot like a film) but at one point, during narrative, he calls her "baby" as the lyrics sing the line "baby".
3. What is the relationship between music and visuals
The video cuts on the beat, like most videos, switching between his performance singing the lyrics, and the narrative as it moves along and slowly becomes less positive and more tense (as she strays away from him etc). The beat is quite slow, and there are a lot of slowed down shots with a slowly moving camera, often blurry-to focused (or the other way round) to compliment the slow paced music. The song is a serious one and about a break up, which fits with a lot of shadowed close shots of the couple looking downwards, seriously, as if they know something bad going to happen, contrasting with their happy, smiling faces in the presence of friends (their public personas). Therefore I would say the visuals compliment and reinforce the music.
4. Are there close-ups of the artist and star image motifs? There are many close-ups of both stars: one a pop-star, one a movie-star, from odd angles, and these shots are usually slowed down to give a cinematic, glamorous effect, as if they are mysterious and have dark sides or secrets (fitting in with the meaning of the song). There is no real motif with these shots as they happen from every angle, but the fact that they keep re-appearing is a clear trend that structures the video.
5. Is there reference to the notion of looking?
The camera is definitly acting in a voyeuristic way with these slowed down shots, where the shadows and out-of-focus lens means we often only see hints of what is going on, but are encouraged to follow the action which is often sexual (ie. shots of the couple kissing, laughing into each-other's faces, touching each other, and the hoop-dancers). There is also a lot of hand movements when Justin Timberlake is performing, where we follow the slow movements of the dancers' hands in amystical way, and the artist often points and sweeps his hands so we are encourages to follow him.
1. What are the typical features that an album cover has? Make a list of all the elements they have in common.
Front and back
Name of the album
Name of the band
Track list on back
Colour and font scheme
Constant reference to the band's image, either with text or pictures, colours and motifs: key.
2. How would you categorise the covers in front of you? Are there any other ways of distinguishing between them other than generically?
All are completely different and unique to the artist/label...
2 categories:
Band pictures: mostly rock/indie bands such as Maroon 5 and The Kooks. These usually resemble snapshots of the bands walking around, un-posed, at a rehearsal and are assembled seemingly randomly. Also hip-hop artists such as Ciara or Beyonce to show their beauty and are in sexually provocative poses.
Graphical design, no picture: electro groups such as Justice and Subfocus, where the graphics suit the music which is made on a computer, too.
3. Album covers serve many different functions. What do you think these are (ie what is their purpose?)
To promote the band's latest focus in the time it's taken to make the album, and their inspiration, ie. an album that represents their political feelings. The album brings together all the songs under one theme and pakages it.
The album acts as a continum of their hit song or their first release, so if it was successful the album will be something fans will be interested to buy. It represents the first single.
It acts as a special gift to the major fans, buying a piece of the band.
Gives the band a clear image, literally pakaging the band.
a) What band/artist related products can audiences buy? -CD's, T-Shirts & Posters
b) Where can audiences buy/listen to music/merchandise/hardware? Shops (HMV etc), Online (Amazon, play.com etc), Downloads (Itunes etc). Merchandise can often be purchased from HMv and other music stores, or stands withing other shops e.g. topshop often have band t-shirts in a seperate section of the shop.
c) Give 2 or 3 examples of paid-for/subscription based and free products.
Free Products: •free music downloads (often as a taster before the album) •free episodes to watch online •free tickets to a gig when you pre order a CD. Paid for/subscription Products:
•CD'S •Downloads •music magazines (paid for and often subscription) •Merchandise •Subscriptions to band websites (updates via email) d) List between 5 and 10 examples of creative music marketing strategies (including at least 3 internet based examples). •Lily Allen’s single The Fear is being promoted via a viral music game. The instant gratification of this type of game makes it inherently viral. They are potentially reaching a new audience who are not listening to the radio or reading the music press. •Adidas are using the famous artists and sports stars to promote their product to specific audience by showing adverts on television which has a large audience, getting more coverage of both the product and the stars. Yes, on TV between the correct shows to reach the correct audiences. •Jamie Cullum launched ‘The Advent Cullumdar’ on 1st December which houses £20,000 worth of Christmas gifts behind its virtual windows, including AC/DC tickets, John Legend concert tickets, 10 CDs from Universal and a Nokia Comes With Music phone. •Samsung: Bebo and Samsung are teaming up to promote their new Beat phone over the internet in a online series. It will be interactive and allow the audience to interact through blogs, upload track reviews, share music news and win chances to appear in episodes. They will also be trying to find a co-presenter for the show and are also offering live performances from White Lies and The Maccabees to promote the series •Lenka's song The Show was the iTunes free download of the week in September 2008, which promoted her whole self-titled album, pushing up sales 2. Who is frukt uk and what is their mission statement/company ethos?
Frukt UK is an agency specialising in music marketin.
"We’re all about music and are really very fond of it. Music colours people’s everyday lives. It’s found in the mundane and the exalted. It moves us all. And it’s thriving. We help brands access the passion and the communities, the lifestyle and the artists. Music is a vast cultural space - it's flexible, it's multi-channel, it's live and digital, it unites gender, race and age and it defines the spirit of generations.You just need to know how to use it. "
"We bring communication ideas to life through music and aim to produce work that is creatively bold and distinct. Either we develop the central idea ourselves and bring it to life with our team of on and offline activation specialists, or work collaboratively with other agencies, using music to make their ideas shine."
Baby, baby, baby
You are my voodoo child, my voodoo child
"Voodoo Child": The woman singing is a domineering she-devil. She tempts men with her sexual movements and then controls them, like a voodoo doll.
You're like voodoo baby You just take hold Put your cards on the table baby
Do I twist, Do I fold?
But here the lyrics contradict themselves, which is a generic convention of dance songs, as the lyrics often don't make sense and there is a bigger focus on the actual music. "You just take hold" implies that he is performing voodoo on her, instead of her controlling him. "Put your cards on the table baby" implies that her man is a mystery she needs to work out.
You're like voodoo honey
All silver and gold
Why don't you tell me my future?
Why don't I sell you my soul?
So here it comes, the sound of drums
(Here come the drums, here come the drums)
This section attaches a sexual feel to the idea of domineering and being domineered: she wants to tame him but also wants to tempt him and "sell" him her soul. This creates a feeling of lust and mystery, as she is not just giving up herself, she's tempting him to control her by asking suggestive questions.
[Chorus:]
Baby, baby, baby
You are my voodoo child, my voodoo child Don't say maybe maybe
It's supernatural, I'm comin' undone
Here we return to the idea of her controlling him, giving him a clear instruction: "don't say maybe". The word "supernatural" gives us an insight into her mind, as we imagine all the weird and magical things that she may want to do to him or have done to her. Also the sound of the word supernatural as it is sung in the song: superNATural, where the emphasis in on the third syllable, is fierce and sexy, and again encourages us to use our imagination...
[Chorus]
You're like voodoo baby
Your kisses are cold
Feel your poison running through me Let me never grow old
This verse focuses on the magical aspects of the song, with "poison", and the last line worded like a spell..."let me never grow old". She is taunting and insulting him by saying his "kisses are cold", but also attaching sexual meaning to the "posion" line by saying it's running through her body. She wants to be young forever to taunt and tease him.
You're like voodoo honey My pictures you stole
You play me like a puppet Sticking pins in a doll
So here it comes, the sound of drums
(Here come the drums, here come the drums)
He is in control in this verse, but the lyrics are so that although he seems to control her, she has tempted him to do so and she herself is clearly in control. His actions are incredibly sexual ("sticking pins in a doll"...."my picture you stole") and she is highlighting how desirable she is to him, how he can't resist her.
[Chorus][x2]
Woo!
Here come the drums, here come the drums
[Chorus]
Baby, baby, baby
You just take hold
Don't say maybe, maybe
Do I twist do I fold?
.....Voodoo Child by Rogue Traders!!! I'm excited about this. I wouldn't have thought of it as a song choice but thinking about it now it presents really good filming oporunities, as well as styling/ costume. Here are what I'm thinking for some 80's/60's/disco looks and costumes in the video:
1. Summarise how the image has changed/developed over time, and the music genre.
Mike Skinner, the creator and lasting member of The Streets, has always made hip-hop and garage music, but when success came in 2000, the music changed to adopt an indie feel, however always maintained many garage beats. Skinner made a point in 2008 to highlight the new "peachful, positive vibe" to his new LP, Everything Is Borrowed, in comparisson to 2006's The Hardest Way To Make An Easy Living. Skinner said that the fifth record would sound like the city of Berlin, and that the album will be "ravey".
"The final Streets album (the fifth one) will be dark and futuristic. This could not be further from the album you're about to hear, but it's what is on my mind at the moment. I feel inspired by the synthesizer exhibition we just visited in Austria after the gig we just did. Skinner says that the final Streets album will be "one more banger" and will be "dancing music to drink tea to".
2. Who are the fans? Do you have any sense of how the music companies have segmented the audiences? To what extent has the branding of a band been linked to target audience?
3. What marketing strategies can you identify? What kinds of stategies can you list?(above/below-the line? unexpected promo stunts? etc). List any examples of the use of synergy with other industries to promote other media/products in connection with a band/artist.
How music is currently break genre boundaries (dubstep and through remixes etc...)
Furturistic music videos
Now I need to become more focused. We have been set our groups and my group members are Charlotte Cooper, Amelia Conway & Laura Allen. Here's a quick review of our first group meeting...:
1st Group Meeting, Tuesday 8th September
We decided to look at and research further the dance-music-sub-genres of Drum and Bass and Dubstep. This being input from me and Charlotte, I will look at this on my blog and review it for the group. But we decided to only look at specific songs that have lyrics and only sung by female singers. These are my first ideas regarding these two genres:
High Contrast: If We ever (drum & bass)
Chase & Status: Heartbeats (dubstep)
Nu Tone: System (drum and bass/liquid)
...None of these songs have music videos as of yet, which is consistent with most songs of these two genres, and this appealed to us because it gives us more of a chance at being unique. We thought thse sorts of songs would be good to work with as we could have an energetic, individual video and at the same time focus on the passionate, female lyrics. But these are just initial ideas...
We also decided, on the total flipside, to look at mowtown songs and think about putting an 80's bassline behind one (very exaggerated and techno). This is a way of combining our group love of mowtwon music and 80's style. this idea mostly originates from Amelia, who will be looking more closely into it on her part. Songs by artists like The Supremes, Prince, Patti LaBelle, David Bowie and Blondie are what we're thinking, as we all said we could visualise a more girl-band-like video with a lot of outfits, make-up and dance routines reference=ing the 80's style.
I really enjoyed making our lip sync video as it was a song I loved and is good experience to have, as in our real music video, we have all decided to act in it. At first I found the act of lip-syncing extremely difficult; although I knew the song very well, it was hard to keep in time to the music and on more than one occasion I messed up the lines. But then half way through Amelia told me to start actually singing the words and this helped greatly, so in our actual project, I will deffinitly sing the words aloud. In preparation, me and Amelia practiced singing the song to each other and I listened to "Somebody Else's Guy" on my iPod on the way to school a few times, so that I could remember the lyrics.
With the actual acting, me and Amelia discussed how we wanted to present ourselves. We wanted to be very over the top and expressive, and I think this comes across well. I think we would have benefitted from more than one take, however, as there are not enough close-ups ("money shots") of our faces and this would have made a nice contrast to all the Mid-shots we had. My favourite part of our video is the very beginning, which is very slow and the part where we are most enthusiastic. For future shooting, this has taught me that we need to leave enough time to take more footage, and that practicing beforehand is very worthwhile.
Excellent research posts so far Holly, a great start to your background work for this project. I love all your analysis work on music videos, and your research into genre and so on. You are rather behind on some of the work required from last term though, and you need to catch up fast as it will be so busy when we get back to school.
We also need to get you using/applying advanced theory more explicitly when you analyse music videos, think Vernallis for now, although you will also need to get to grips with Goodwin in the new term.
For now, your short term targets are: 1. Link your lip sync and workshop video to your blog 2. Post your workshop and lip sync evaluations 3. Post the work you have done for Miss T on Vernallis (see her post on the main music video blog for specific details) 4. Post any further track research/ideas - what you have done so far is really excellent 5. Sort out your blog navigation – you need to link to the main music video blog for example 6. We need a photo please!
All instructions are on the main blog if you are not sure what you should have done. There will be a lot happening when term starts so the sooner this outstanding work is completed, the better.
Great effort so far, keep up the good work and see you soon!
Holly, Laura, Charlotte & Amelia - Teenage Dirtbag
What did you learn? The most educational bit of the day was watching Jake Wynn and his crew work. I like watching the filming in the sports hall because there was so much space that we could follow the mobile camera round, or else watch on the monitor. I learnt that it really is better to do more takes than less to save time, as in the end you need a choice of footage. During editing, we often didn't have the right shots and so in the future we know to always take at least three times.
What was the best bit? My favourite part of the day was making up Hannah (playing the lead) and also being in the video myself. Me and Amelia were playing girl-jock-mean-girls and had to walk down a corridor looking fierce. This was later slowed down in editing. Although it was fun playing this character, editing myself was not! I definitly prefer backstage rather than front stage. I enjoyed getting people ready for there scenes and also helping in any way I could the crew.
How will the workshop influence you in the coursework practical? Like I mentioned, we definitly know now to leave enough time for extra takes. Also all the pre-production is so important in ensuring you don't waste time and money, something I hadn't given a huge amount of thought to before. Making sure people are going to be there in advance, writing a schedule and checking equipment were all this we did in the workshop and that we, in our group, will definitly do for shooting.
The song is very happy and upbeat, with obvious lyrics that are repeated like 'happy' and 'celebrate'. The main theme of the song is to celebrate the fact that although things are going badly, 'we're so happy'. My first though when I heard this song was that the context was way off for such a happy song: you could never dance to Joy Division feeling 'so happy' dispite everything being bad because the entire persona of the 70's punk band was one of mysterious darkness and depression, culminating in the suicide of the lead singer, Ian Curtis. The Wombats sing about this 'irony', but either are completely missing the point of Joy Division or are genuinely turning round the idea of the previous band to produce something that is upbeat and sellable. I do not think that the song itself is ironic, and that they are actually in tune with the depressing tone of Joy Division and the 'so happy' part is exaggerated to emphasis how they are so not. Overall, I think the Wombats are trying to take a positive inspiration from Joy Division and the irony that they sing about is the fact that they're doing this - that they're being positive. With millions of indie bands (who must listen wistfully to Joy Division amongst many others) struggling to get a break and write music, a song like this would be very appealing and captures the feeling of happy failure, or failing with style.
The Treatment for the Music Video
If I were directing this music video, I would focus mainly on the realistic, measured tone of the song: "everything is going wrong but we're so happy". This makes me think of a a relaxed, down-to-earth, matey environment like a small local bar with a stage, packed with friends laughing and having a good night. We had the idea in class to shoot the video in a point-of-view angle of one of the fans, perhaps travelling on his way to the gig and meeting up with friends as he goes. At around the last chorus of the song, we could open up to the brightly-lit stage with the band playing energetically to a happy crowd - a scene we might have previously had flashes of on the journey. Although this is a simple idea I think it expresses the views of the song well.
This track has elements of tecnho, house, trance and all with a dubstep framework. I think the lyrics and the voice especially bring a really interesting quality to the music. This track has sparked ideas about how I would shoot the music video...
These images roughly represent my inital ideas as to the way I would imagine the video... the mise-en-scene would be low key lighting, dingy, compact like a club. I can imagine a lot of disorientating shots, hand held, and flashing lights of all colours to give that feeling of another world: escapism. I'd like to do a video that was slightly unconventional and including things like point-of-view shots, and blurred camera, to give a sense of the fast-paced music.
Calvin Harris: I'm Not Alone (Doorly Remix)....La Roux: In For The Kill (Foamo's Skream Remix Bootleg).....Timberlee: Gunny Gunny (Schlachthofbronx Remix)
How does dance music break down? Dance is a huge genre that has evolved dramatically over the years. It is defined as any music that one can dance to, but there are specific sub-genres that we can break it down into from the past 50 or so years:
1950s: Rock & Roll
1960s
1970s: Disco (& Funk)
1980s: New Wave, Funk, Acid House,
1990s: Eurodance, Progressive House, Techno, Hip
2000s: Electropop
I consider dance music to live more in the underground scene, and these genres to be more poppy. Some of the most popular upbeat genres at the moment includes Drum & Basss, Junglee, Hardcoree, Trance, UK Garage, and Electro.
Underworld: Born Slippy .NUXX
This is a very famous example of 90's techno-trance...
Many sub-genres of electronic dance music have evolved. Speed Garage, Bassline, Grime and the Reggae-inspired Dubstep (ska) are all sub-genres of UK Garage, a genre I'm very interested in as it is strong in North London.
Brandy & Monica: The Boy Is Mine (garage remix)
Recently, electro dance music from artists such as Lady Gaga, Dizzie Rascal and La Roux has dominated the charts. I really like the drum and bass remixes of electro tracks at the moment, making them more dancefloor-suitable and less poppy. Here are two examples of successful (in clubs) tracks that are remixes of La Roux's latest hits:
La Roux: Bullet Proof (DJ Zinc remix)
La Roux: In For The Kill (Skream remix)
The remixes of the songs including deeper basslines give the songs a certain depth that make them perfect for clubs, and less of a sing-a-long song. I think tracks like these two would be really interesting to do as a music video, as they have a distinct darkness about them which acts as a starting block for a video's overall feel: the story could build on this threatening, adrenalin-like feeling.
I've noticed that a particular style of music video that appeals to me tends to be a futuristic, robotic kind, and I think this is because I like the way it parodies how music is ever changing and getting more and more electronic. Plus, I like synths and electronic bass in music. Here are some music videos that use the futuristic theme and are successful...
Bjork: All Is Full Of Love
In this video, the focus is the slow-movement of the machinery and its connection with the subject of the music: love. But is this human love? There is a sense of entrapment and prevention as if the 'love' it trapped inside of the robots. I like the slow pace especially and the way it prevents the machine from looking threatening: it is innocent. This is not a conventional portrayal of love.
Daft Punk: Around The World
This video is interesting because it makes reference to a lot of time poeriods and even music periods: The girls in 50's swimsuits, the very 70's skeleton-suit dancers, the robots... IT seems to be looking to the past in order to make a statement about moving music and the stage we're at now. The disco-like setting is futuristic and robotic.
Certain artists, bands, albums, songs and music videos stick out in my mind for their unique style and iconic design. Here is some of my favourite musical iconography with some notes to get the ball rolling...
The Beatles "Yellow Submarine" LP
The Yellow Submarine album had a very clear, psychaedelic, 60's look, which reflects the groovy time period in which it was written (1966). The elements of surreal colour and shape a reminiscent of drug experience and therefore relate to the LSD-era that The Beatles lived in..."Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds".... This album is legend and helped to give The Bealtles their timeless, psychaedelic image that has carried them through to today.
Prince's "Purple Rain" Album Prince, (still going strong at 51 today) has maintained an identity as an 80's explosion of shoulderpads and bouffant hair, as he came into his own in the 80's and the "Purple Rain" album showed clearly his style. We see him in purple suits riding around on a motorbike, making the song "Purple Rain" as much about the way Prince looks as it is about the music.
Chase & Status ft. Plan B - "Pieces" video Chase and Status, being DJ's, depict themselves in the "Pieces" video to be surrounded by their equipment, silent and intense. In contrast, Plan B, a rapper, gets very violent and talkative in the video and comes across as more interactive than the other two. Characters in music videos help to bring out the artist's personalities.
