Task 17-Lyric Analysis

by Tom Cornock

https://www.canva.com/design/DACjWXHUwAA/view

If interactive version doesn't work, see link or images below

Learning Comment

This task will help us develop a relevant narrative that will fit the song well and be authentic in comparison to the original. We have understood several meaning from the song, for example the element of Karma and people who are fixed in the mainstream. In our narrative, we will try to incorporate these ideas, particularly in the chorus, for further effect. What makes the song a good choice is how ambiguous certain lyrics and how several different meanings can be derived from the verses. Other songs we looked at, such as Rat boy, had a distinct narrative and story being told in the song which would have made it hard to be original and relevant without copying the narrative of the song. Lastly, the hook of the song 'wall of glass', will work well to show the disrupted equilibrium (Todorov Theory)

Video Brainstorm (Task 14-Thinking Of A Concept)

Video Brainstorm from Tom Cornock on Vimeo.

Learning Comment

This task gave us a further idea about what we are going to do for own main coursework. We decided that 'Wall of Glass' by Liam Gallagher would be the most likely song to use, due to the pace of the editing and genre conventions we could include. As we stated in the discussion, we are still undecided on the narrative side of the video, wanting to keep the narrative simplistic but relevant and engaging to the song. We would like to use a studio, whether this is the one in school, or elsewhere, which we will reveal in a later blog post. We have someone available to be the protagonist, knowing the words to the song, as well as wide availability which who will be flexible when filming.

Song Choice 1 (Task 14-Thinking Of A Concept)

Liam Gallagher- Wall Of Glass

Liam Gallagher's 'Wall Of Glass' has potential to be a good song choice for several reasons. For example, the instrumental element of the song will sync well with editing techniques. As there is a constant beat/rhythm with varying speed throughout, the pace of editing can easily be dictated by the song and give a professional look. As an indie rock song, there are pauses between verses, giving an option to show a performance in the music video (Guitars, Drums etc are used). Another positive about the song is that we have a student available who is a fan of the artist, therefore understanding the style and knowing the lyrics, hopefully being able to give a convincing performance. The song has a fast pace and a clear build up to the chorus, which could be used to illustrate important scenes of the narrative running alongside the performance. The duration of the song is around the 4 minute mark, this may be slightly longer than needed, however if we have a well planned narrative and storyboard filling the time shouldn't be a factor to rule out using this song.

As the producers of the video, we would have to decide whether our main actor, who would be performing the song, choose to emulate the character of Liam Gallagher or decide to give the video authenticity. I feel that both would work well, particularly as the official video has no real narrative so adding a clear narrative with an equilibrium and progression. If not, genre conventions would be portrayed, such as indie costume and a low key performance.

Song Choice 2 (Task 14-Thinking Of A Concept)

Circa Waves

Unlike many songs in the Indie genre, this song is rather upbeat and joyful. The song has a consistent pace, varying at different points of the song. For example, at the end of the video, a long instrumental builds up the final chorus. This could work well to end the narrative. From previous students work, I have seen that location is vital to convey the intended mood and atmosphere. As a happy song, reminiscing in the past, we would need good weather to be relevant to the title 'T Shirt Weather'. This could be an issue due to fitting in filming around the weather as well as our own availability. We would like to include a narrative in whatever song we use-this could easily be placed in this song. Locally, there are several locations which would fit the mood of the song such as the seaside, countryside and rural areas that surround Thornbury.

Song Choice 3 (Task 14-Thinking Of A Concept)

Ratboy- Sign On

Ratboy has a unique and edgy style, not limiting himself to the conventional indie expectations. As we are limited to budget equipment and basic cameras etc, using this song may be a good idea as audiences would expect rougher and less finessed look. If the song was chosen , we would use a urban area, with the song tempo varying and being quite chaotic and fast, the location would fit the song well. Another advantage would be the simplicity of the mise en scene, particularly clothing, as the genre and lyrics allow a casual representation of the characters involved. Also, the artist himself was only 19 at the time of release, so the song is meant to be performed by young people. Our actors/performers will be of a very similar age, adding realism to our video, while presenting them as was originally intended.

Task 8- Focus Group- Task Three

Focus Group from Tom Cornock on Vimeo.

Learning Comments

By speaking to other students undertaking the same course, I was able to discuss opinions and research to relevant topics. For example, we had all looked at students previous work from the school and identified key elements of videos can include, as well as a set of items to avoid. As I state in the video, I do not think that transitions and effects bring the quality of a video if used constantly. I think it is so much more effective to use if used sparingly and to the beat of the music. From the task, I found that the majority of the my group agreed, meaning I will proceed when making my video to avoid the overuse of effects. Another topic of conversation was which genre we were considering using. Due to budget and practical reasons, an indie video would be a good choice as the pop genre is very overproduced and performance parts can be very extravagant- e.g. the inclusion of expensive cars and clothing. The indie genre allows us to be unique but remain within reality of costs and quality. We liked previous students work that had a narrative and performance section in their videos. We thought that crosscutting was an effective editing technique, allowing scenes to become one and look like one complete product.

Task Seven-Music Video Analysis- Theory Analysis-Task Four

Task 7 part 4- Theory from Tom Cornock

Learning Comment

This task has shown me that a music video can be analysed to great detail with the work of other theorists. By looking at the theories, you begin to notice that there are conventions and stereotypes of each genre. For example, in this Indie music video, you would expect to see the band performing the song. Andrew Goodwin identified this in his 'Genre characteristics' theory. I found that the videos which were personally engaging to me often could be compared to lot's of theory. When making my video, I will consider how interesting my narrative and performance is. While some video align with theories, it is clear that some cannot always be applied. In this video it is hard to identify Todorov's narrative theory and Propp Theory. Sometimes this can be effective, particularly if the videos 'go against the grain', with stereotypes such as gender roles flipped.

Task Eight- Part Two- Theoretical Analysis

See Prezi Above

Learning Comment

This task has let me explore new theories and understand how audiences perceive music videos. It is interesting to see how messages behind music video narratives exist and how a majority of audiences follow the producers message. For example, under the reception theory the dominant audience decodes the meaning of a video. In addition, it has shown me the influence a music video can have upon an impressionable audience. Logic's music video is unique as he targets those with suicidal thoughts and promotes the number for the phone line, even calling the song it. Due to the millions of views they can earn, music videos can now be a social and political tool for artists to help or spread their beliefs to audiences worldwide. When making my music video, I will consider how developed my narrative needs to be, if I include one, as there is clearing differing complexity across the vast range of videos. If I did include a theme etc, I would attempt to keep it simple like these artists have done themselves.

Task Eight- Task One- Music Consumption

Music Consumption from Tom Cornock on Vimeo.

Learning Comment

This task has helped us developed an understanding of what audiences, like ourselves, look for in a music videos. We soon realised that opinions on music videos are rather subjective, which each member sharing slightly different views on how videos should work and if they are as important as stated. We believed that the views of the group varied due to the predominant genre we listen to, for example Alex like Pop Music so liked a simplistic music video. On the whole, most of us liked videos with a two main elements- a performance and a narrative. This makes videos more engaging and considerably hold our attention as viewers for longer. When making my video, I will take into account our own opinions on videos and how it is best to fit the genre and target demographic. Another point we found out was that YouTube is the main source of videos, showing the change in times when MTV etc were the 'go to' source for the videos. This makes it extra important for videos to be unique and stand out from the majority as there are so many available to watch on the proliferating site.

Green Screen Practice

Learning Comment

To make our music video of a high quality, we need to explore techniques such as green screen. Unfortunately, we were not equipped with the greatest green screen, as it was creased and very short, which hindered what we could attempt. Next time, I would make sure the screen/material we used was bigger and flat as it is essential for a good result. However, only in a few clips can you see the failures of the screen, as it served well. We did lose some of the clips due to a computer malfunction, so we sourced clips from YouTube to practice with. This was a good challenge as we had to film form a right angle and prospective for the desired effect. These clips had a crisper look as they had a solid green screen, and to place into iMovie we did the reverse to what we initially did.

Steps for using Green Screen in iMovie:

1. Film using a green background, considering the creases and lighting to the best effect.
2. Import the clips into iMovie 
3. Place what you would like behind the green screen first and then add the green screen clip
4. Double click the clip, selecting 'green screen' under the cutaway menu.
5. Adjust clips to match the action

This task has extended abilities on iMovie and what our video can later contain, as the use of green screen is used often in the music video production. We have learnt from previous mistakes, meaning that we will consider our actions next time

Photoshoot Practice

Original Photos

Edited Photos

What I have learnt:
I decided to take the opportunity to complete this extra task as I knew that photography is huge part of digipaks and posters that promote an artist. Therefore, I wanted to get some experience with a camera and lighting before creating my own digipak poster to gain key skills. One of the main features in all of my photos is lighting and we altered this aspect in every shot to experiment what worked well. From this, I have learnt that when the lighting is at an angle, shadows are created, hence giving you a professional and abstract shot. Because of this outcome, I will make sure that any lighting I use in pictures is at an angle to create an authentic look. I also attempted to edit some of our images on Photoshop during this task. Whilst I edited the images I came across features like the magic eraser tool, changing all aspects of an image like contrast etc and also how to change the background. From previous Photoshop tasks from this year and last year, I have become very comfortable using the application and have also realised the importance of the magic eraser tool as it can cut out part of an image with significant accuracy. Overall, this task has helped me feel more comfortable with the Photoshop software and camera features so that I can apply the things that I have learnt into my final product. 

Task Seven- Music Video Analysis- Task Three

Theorists/Definitions

Shuker- 

• The representation of women in music videos, and the nature of the gaze (usually constructed as male) of the viewer of such texts

Vernallis-

• Representation in music video is not monolithic, that progressive videos, ones that run against the grain, also exist.
• Music Videos often reflect cultural stereotypes but in majority they exaggerate them.
• Music Videos reflect gender stereotypes. There are elements that 'men act and women appear'.

Laura Mulvey-

• She believed that women were objectified in the media, used for the 'male gaze', pleasure for a male audience. 

Brannon-

• Man conforms to traditional characteristics to be a 'real man', showing strength and dominance. He believes that there is a pressure in society in men to show this 'masculinity'.

Connell/Bereska (2003)-

• Despite masculinity undertaking drastic changes, Hegemonic masculinity has changed little. For example, men are portrayed under four themes (Stoic, aggressive, dependable, not feminine). The theory also sees men as dominate and women subordinate to men.

Learning Comment

This task has shown me the differing representations of both genders music videos. It is clear that some artists deliberately attempt to 'go against the grain', with the videos portraying their own beliefs or deeper meanings to the songs. For example, Beyonce's 'If I were a Boy', using the video as a chance to show some inequalities. Stereotypes can be seen throughout the mainstream and majority of music videos, this is likely to be due to their themes of relationships etc. Some stereotypes include men being dominate over women and women being objectified. The 'Male Gaze' clearly exists in many videos, as a variety of shots have been chosen for a heterosexual male audience, with close ups on female bodies more than males. Another finding from the research is that representations of Gender are dependant on the genre of music. It is likely in a  rap video that men are 'hyper masculine', in an attempt to show off their wealth or status, due to the competitive nature of the genre. In my video I will decide which way I would like to portray gender, either in a conventional or unconventional way, however I have found that the unconventional videos are often the most engaging as they stand out in comparison to the majority. Which ever way I chose, I will consider the theories of Mulvey, Vernallis, Shuker etc.