Sober- Childish Gambino (Music Video Research)
The music video starts of in a takeaway place with a young girl drinking some soda by herself, and then the camera looks upwards showing the main artist Childish Gambino looking directly at the girl also sitting on his own. She then notices that she is being observed and awkwardly looks at her phone to avoid eye contact. Gambino then walks over to her, clearly in a state of intoxication because of the way he stumbles over being barely able to walk in a straight line. They have given the artist make up to make him look this way, possibly to make it easier for the audience to understand the narrative/performance. Then the main artist starts conveying the words of the song into hand movements. The girl them decides to walk away, potentially from feeling uncomfortable by the situation. Then Gambino starts dancing along to the music as if attempting to communicate with her again, he then proceeds to get an egg out of his pocket, crack it open and give her a message inside which states 'I'm so high'. The dancing gets crazier and crazier until he finally receives a reaction from her which come In the form of a smile. The girl then goes to get her takeaway food and leaves the place without any form of goodbye. As soon as she leaves Childish Gambino sits back in the same place in the same way all on his own. I think its supposed to represent his loneliness as he has broken out of a relationship, so now he's always high and never sober, possibly to drown away his sorrows. The way I interpret the music video is that he is trying to gain another chance but the fact that he's always intoxicated seems to be the downfall of the situation. If my music could apply some dancing choreography like that of this video, it would ultimately stand out from other students videos and show our dedication to this task.
Sweatpants- Childish Gambino (Music Video Research)
The music video location is set as a 'classic' American café, and as Childish Gambino(the main artist) is singing everyone else eating at the restaurant are acting as the typical customers who are essentially 'minding their own business'. When the main artist sits down at a table with the people who I assume are his friends or family or possibly even just strangers, he looks at this people with what seems to be annoyance or boredom. There is a shot where the chorus begins and 3 people are bobbing their heads to the beat of the song, this is to provide some performance to the video. From this point onward the video becomes twisted and confusing, because as Gambino walks out the back door, the process of walking back through that particular door takes him to through the front; and then after this when he sits down on that same table as if the scene has been repeated, this time the people sitting down at the table are clones of himself. Further, after this the same set of shots keeps repeating with a more dramatic and confusing change each time, for example, when he goes through the third time everyone is a clone of himself and they are all look directly at him. The lyrics show that is a song about being self-absorbed as Childish Gambino sings sings/raps about all the luxuries in his life and how much he is 'winning', this video portrayal about being egotistical makes complete sense when its put into perspective and related to the lyrics. Our video needs to achieve such trippy effects, and I already know how to do cloning which makes this more then capable of happening.
The Scientist- Coldplay (Music Video Research)
The video is one massive reverse shot whereby it shows the main singer of the band 'Chris Martin' walking through different location backwards to time, although he is singing along to the lyrics in sync not in reverse. It starts off with the artist laying on and old tatty mattress, and then it shows him walking through a city in the night, and then after this he is walking through a basketball court; and then finally across a train track into a forest where the concept of the video is formulated and the music video storyline comes together. It turns out that he had been in a car crash with presumably his partner, she decided to take her seatbelt of for a few seconds in order to take her coat off; after this there was a lorry in the road and their car was steered off down a steep hill. Although I cannot understand why he would be walking through all these places, it must have been a way to distract himself from these sad emotions. The lyrics in the song literally translate to the main performer apologizing to this woman and saying how his life will be going in 'circles'. If I could apply a twist ending like that of this music video to our assignment it could put the whole video together and create an interesting narrative.
Yellow- Coldplay (Music Video Research)
This particular music video begins with a wide shot with the ocean at night time, you can hear the sounds of the waves very clearly and its a nice way to start a video. The camera then pans left to show a silhouette of the main performer 'Chris Martin' on the beach, with all the stars in the background. When the main artist starts to sing along in sync with the song, the whole shot is in slow motion, it continues in this format for a short while. It turns out the shot remains the same for the rest of the video, the only change is the sky transforming from night to day. When interpreting the lyrics there is conformation that the theme of the song is 'beauty' and the way that Coldplay perceive this. This video is quite boring and although the song is really good and the video does suit the monotonous aurora of the song, I think our music video will revolve around a different image.
3005- Childish Gambino (Music Video Research)
This particular music video starts of on a Ferris wheel a night time, with Childish Gambino the main artist and a 'ted' type teddy bear which is able to move. Its one of a kind and actually suits the song very well, it involves the main artists performance, whereby he is lip-syncing to the music. Later on in the video after the second chorus has been played. the camera goes around the wheel showing all the lights; and then after that when it turns back to the same position, the artist is exactly the same whilst the teddy bear looks as if it has wasted away from years of use. Also I have noticed that when it has the first person shot around the ferris wheel for the second time the city in the background is on fire; I think this is an interpretation of is feelings for the girl he talks about in the song. Similarly I believe the lyrics to represent how everyone around the couples opinions are affecting the relationship. This music video is one of my favourites that I have seen, because even though the overall concept if very simple, they manage to make the audience keep watching.
Student Music Videos
This is certainly a level 4 video, it consists of many positives, these are; there is little repetition so does not get boring, the overall performances and locations accurately represents and suits the songs and genres. This group have managed to be very creative with this music video and have thus created a video that is unique and very easy to watch. However there are points in which the performance lacks accuracy, I believe this is during the old skool tunes performance, here the performance lacks a clear strong lip syncing.
I would say that this is a Level 4 music video seeing as it meets all of the aspects in the criteria, it remains interesting throughout all of the 3:14, which I believe is down to the excellent transitions that have been utilised, and also the dance choreography that was put in place. However the only constructive criticism I can make is that towards the end of the video I feel like there could be something more needed to finish it off, but other then that I have found it difficult to fault this high standard work.
At first I had no clue what was going on in this music video, but as it went on I found that it was in correlation with the similarly confusing lyrics of the song itself. The shots got gradually more bewildering to watch and it was weirdly enjoyable and enticing. When the video had reached its end point with the unforeseeable and shocking ending, the whole thing came together for me, that is why I would award this video with a level 4.
Richard Dyer
In today's lesson we looked at Richard Dyer's theories across Media. His theories suggest that a 'star' is someone who is constructed across various media platforms and is not a 'real' person. These platforms include:
- Film
- TV
- Newspaper
- Magazine
In terms of the music industry there are many individuals who are pop stars rather than pop performers. For example, Justin Bieber is represented as a major musical artist worldwide and he has his own ego in the music industry which is completely different to his personality as a human. Contrastingly, a pop performer is normally someone who isn't yet established in the music industry and performs music which they prefer to sing. This is different to a pop star because what they produce is heavily influenced by commercial and business reasons and they are used purely to advertise.
- Film
- TV
- Newspaper
- Magazine
In terms of the music industry there are many individuals who are pop stars rather than pop performers. For example, Justin Bieber is represented as a major musical artist worldwide and he has his own ego in the music industry which is completely different to his personality as a human. Contrastingly, a pop performer is normally someone who isn't yet established in the music industry and performs music which they prefer to sing. This is different to a pop star because what they produce is heavily influenced by commercial and business reasons and they are used purely to advertise.
Star Profile- The Beatles
The transformation of the Beatles
There's no denying that the Beatles changed the music industry profoundly. From the way album covers appeared, to writing their own songs, to innovative recording techniques, the Beatles led the way to change what rock bands could do.
But The Beatles were not just a band "who made it very, very big" as John Lennon said. The Beatles became an international phenomenon.
Every corner of the planet had discovered The Beatles by 1966, but it was the year when we would all discover who they were becoming.Off the road and out of the studio for the first time in ages, the weary quartet settle into their own lives in and around London, sopping up avant-garde culture and experimenting with mind-altering drugs.
In 1970 Paul McCartney announced to the world that the Beatles were essentially over. To promote his first solo album, McCartney, Paul issued a four-page interview with himself. The band, McCartney wrote, was divided over "personal differences, business differences, musical differences".
There's no denying that the Beatles changed the music industry profoundly. From the way album covers appeared, to writing their own songs, to innovative recording techniques, the Beatles led the way to change what rock bands could do.
But The Beatles were not just a band "who made it very, very big" as John Lennon said. The Beatles became an international phenomenon.
IT’S JULY 1, 1963 AND at London’s Abbey Road Studios a song is recorded that will change the world, the lit fuse of the most extraordinary pop culture explosion of the 20th Century. “We found girls hiding in the ceiling at Abbey Road,” reveals Paul McCartney.
Every corner of the planet had discovered The Beatles by 1966, but it was the year when we would all discover who they were becoming.Off the road and out of the studio for the first time in ages, the weary quartet settle into their own lives in and around London, sopping up avant-garde culture and experimenting with mind-altering drugs.
No rest- Dry the river
Connection between music/lyrics and visuals Listen to the track with your eyes closed. First the music:
What are the emotions it stirs?
This song gave me more negative emotions due to the slow pace of the tune and sorrowful voice of the many artist, although it did pick up speed at various points I would still revolve this song around sad emotions types.
How do you picture the music video?
-Possibly the northern lights in the background going at their usual pace in the night sky. Whilst at the same time the main singing artist of the band is in the picture with the northern lights behind him and the only equipment on screen is a stand mic.
-However at the particular points in the song when the music picks up speed and the singer sounds more passionate, the northern lights could become faster(almost like a time-lapse) in accordance with the tempo of this music. There is a part of the song where the instruments in the background begin to be heard, and at this point there can be a jump cut to the rest of the band appearing behind the singer; in the usual band formation.
30 second video analysis
In the first shot of the G.O.M.D. music video there was visibly a high-end house, which could lead to many different circumstances.
When the shit continues around the corner of the room it focuses on the main singer J.Cole looking out of the window, but it is not yet known as to what he is currently looking at.
In the next shot it becomes clear that the video is set in older times, because of the clothing and the baronet gun one of the men is holding. At this point it became clear to me that these people could possibly the owners of the house, especially because of the character in the posh white shirt.
This shot makes it perfectly clear to me that they are on a plantation because of the African American slaves who are working hard to avoid punishment.
In this shot the enforcers are looking over the slaves to make sure everyone is working hard and sometimes to stop runaways.
It is a similar scenario in this shot, but instead it shows the workers placing fertilizer in the fields for crop growth, and I can perceive the people looking frightened and nervous.
This shot is just a zoomed in version of the previous shot.
In the final 30 second shot it shows one of the enforcers getting angry with one of the slaves and preparing to unleash some tactile punishment.
Audience Homework
How do you consume music?:
I often listen to music in order to motivate to do things, especially in relation to sporting activities because it prepares me for competition. I usually listen to music early in the morning because it gets me ready for school, as I'm usually 'half awake' and need a boost for the day head. I also sometimes listen to music whilst I'm revising at home, where I would usually get distracted from my work, and the music helps me to focus. I go to music gigs that have artists with a huge interest to me, the most recent gigs I have been to were at Brixton, where I saw the likes of Post Malone and Travis Scott. Obviously it is common to listen to music in the car on the radio but sometimes I find that they don't play songs that are suited to my taste of music, that's why it is much easier to listen on my phone which allows me to choose whatever song I want. I have found that me and my friends have a similar taste in music which is perfect really, because anyone can use there personal music knowing that everyone will enjoy the vibes. Music is something that is very gratifying to me as it allows me to get different vibes from different artists; one of my favourite things is going to festivals because the atmosphere is amazing and they're some of my most enjoyable memories.
Uses and Gratifications theory:
Personal Identification- I often listen to music when I'm feeling down in the dumps and I need something to cheer me up. I also find that its perfect for long journeys where without music I would have 'literally' nothing to do and I would be extremely bored.
Information- I learnt all about city of Compton and the abuse received from the residents there in the past from the famous N.W.A.
Entertainment- I find that any live performance I've seen so far in my life has been the most exhilarating form of entertainment.
Social Interaction- One of my best mates called Lloyd used to listen to Kanye wests song 'roses' and 'runaway' with me all the time because we thought they were good songs and suited are aura very well.
Audience:
Our target audience would be the youth(young adults) of the world because of the very controversial topic that are music video will be about a man who can only be with a girl whilst he is 'high'. We will attempt to portray to the audience how this is negatively affecting this persons life and the overall impact that it places on people around him.
I often listen to music in order to motivate to do things, especially in relation to sporting activities because it prepares me for competition. I usually listen to music early in the morning because it gets me ready for school, as I'm usually 'half awake' and need a boost for the day head. I also sometimes listen to music whilst I'm revising at home, where I would usually get distracted from my work, and the music helps me to focus. I go to music gigs that have artists with a huge interest to me, the most recent gigs I have been to were at Brixton, where I saw the likes of Post Malone and Travis Scott. Obviously it is common to listen to music in the car on the radio but sometimes I find that they don't play songs that are suited to my taste of music, that's why it is much easier to listen on my phone which allows me to choose whatever song I want. I have found that me and my friends have a similar taste in music which is perfect really, because anyone can use there personal music knowing that everyone will enjoy the vibes. Music is something that is very gratifying to me as it allows me to get different vibes from different artists; one of my favourite things is going to festivals because the atmosphere is amazing and they're some of my most enjoyable memories.
Uses and Gratifications theory:
Personal Identification- I often listen to music when I'm feeling down in the dumps and I need something to cheer me up. I also find that its perfect for long journeys where without music I would have 'literally' nothing to do and I would be extremely bored.
Information- I learnt all about city of Compton and the abuse received from the residents there in the past from the famous N.W.A.
Entertainment- I find that any live performance I've seen so far in my life has been the most exhilarating form of entertainment.
Social Interaction- One of my best mates called Lloyd used to listen to Kanye wests song 'roses' and 'runaway' with me all the time because we thought they were good songs and suited are aura very well.
Audience:
Our target audience would be the youth(young adults) of the world because of the very controversial topic that are music video will be about a man who can only be with a girl whilst he is 'high'. We will attempt to portray to the audience how this is negatively affecting this persons life and the overall impact that it places on people around him.
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