Thursday, 12 November 2009

Planning

As a group, we had the idea for our music video before we had our song choice.
We then had to find a suitable song, which fitted in with the theme of imagination. Therefore Sophie Ellis-Bextor's "Me & My Imagination" was the most suitable choice.
The original music video included bright lights and vibrant colours, so it fitted well with the genre (dance pop).
Our influences came from the electro genre, such as their use of location, props and costume. We decided to use a variation of locations, as the video concept is based around a magazine. We decided on using the TV studio for most of our scenes, but the use of a field for a "nature fashion shoot" and the photography studio for an actual photo shoot.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6N26e_BgfU Me & My Imagination
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOYufRHQSms La Roux - Bulletproof
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4MqUMieyXg&feature=channel Alphabeat - The Spell

As part of our planning, we all chose a music video and analyzed it. We chose: "Foundations" - Kate Nash and "Don't Stop" - Inner Party System, before we eventually chose Me & My Imagination.

Textual Analysis of a Music Video – Kate Nash, Foundations
The song I have chosen to analyse is Kate Nash’s Foundations. I chose this track because it links into our ideas for own music video, as we are looking for a bright, stylistic feel to the video, and also because of the speed of the song being rather static, with the simplistic instrumental riff. Another reason I chose this video is because of the use of ordinary objects to create meaning.

The genre of the song is pop and the characteristics of this are seen in the video, such as the bright set, and the use of many close ups of the artist singing.

The lyrics of the song are taken rather literally in their interpretation in the music video, such as the lines ‘eat so many lemons’ and ‘just have another beer then’ To avoid taking the whole song too literally, stop motion has also been used, showing household objects to illustrate the narrative of the song. This can be seen in the first shot of the video, with two toothbrushes, showing the relationship between them, with the shot being shown later in the video, where they are ‘fighting’.

The camerawork is mostly static, although this is common with stop motion shots. The shot sizes are mostly close ups and mid shots, which are used to sell the artist, and focus on the lyrics, as they are the appeal of the artists songs. The editing starts off with multiple shots, cutting to the beat of the song, to show the setting of the video, and these are then followed by long shot lengths of the artist, to show the videos narrative.

Kate Nash is represented as a ‘normal’ person, wearing coloured dresses, and a seemingly natural use of make-up, and is not shown to be on sexual display, which makes her completely opposite to a lot of artists, such as Madonna. This seems to fit with her songs, as they seem to be about everyday concepts such as relationships, and are then expressed in a detailed way, that is both catchy and relatable.

Lily Allen seems to have some similarities to Kate Nash, in the way that their songs are usually about the concept of relationships, and their songs are relatively lyric based. The video for ‘Smile’ also has similarities, because it has a colourful set, and has a narrative of a break-up.

At the end of the video, mise-en-scene is used to show the message the video is portraying, ‘don’t fall for this’. Which is telling women, or people in general, that they shouldn’t stay in a relationship when you know that it isn’t working and you aren’t happy.

Name of track: Don't Stop (version one of the video)
Director: Stephen Penta
Artist: Innerpartysystem
The video for Innerpartysystem's debut single, “Don't Stop”, was released around May, 2008. The genre is described as “rock”, but also “industrial” and “electronica”. The video reflects widely on the characteristics that videos from these genres maintain, it is bright and the studio shots are well lit. The shots of the band are often not illuminated enough to be able to see their faces clearly, but for some of the shots , the band can be seen distinctly. The band are also portrayed as playing live. The lighting within the live shots, however, are coloured and bright, giving the electronic edge to the video. Images of the band, there is bright lighting of different colours, varying in intensity.

The lyrics are reflected through various scenes throughout the video. The lyrics are based around fame, money, celebrity culture and religion. There are shots where the lyrics are represented via text. The video contains various scenes where the lead singer, Patrick Nissley, is featured on the news background (such as the shot below), where the lyrics are represented through phrases, such as “Celebrity Worship”, “God's final warning”, “sex” and “FAME!”. There are also shots of money, a woman's lips, and other parts of a woman's body in the news display. Also shows are shots where Abby's image as a professional news reader is being corrupted through scenes that have a sexual nature. These stills are examples of the shots that incorporate the lyrics. The first one shows Patrick with the text “celebrity worship?” and the second and third stills are shots of Abby.

The visuals within the video are “jumpy”. They are fast paced shots, jumping from one scene to the next. However, the majority of the shots are stop-start motion. The scene often remains the same, but something changes with that scene. The actions of Troy or Abby are often slowed down via this stop-start motion. However, during slower parts of the song, the visuals slow down, to match the pace of the music. In terms of camera work, the video is mainly compiled of extreme close ups and medium close ups. The extreme close ups are fragmented, and focusing on facial features, mainly the eyes and the mouth. The movement of the camera tends to be quite shakey, focusing on the stop-start motion.

The editing of the video is incredibly fast paced. There is no general continuity within the shots. They are mismatched and often placed in various orders. The post production gives the shots a more television style atmosphere – for example, the news background and the images on that background. The performance given by Troy and Abby are that of corrupt news readers. The mise-en-scene of the video portrays this.

The location is the band's local news studio, based in Philadelphia. The band are placed in a live setting, although the actual setting is unknown. There are some unusual props within the video – a ball gag is used within a scene, and Troy is seen pouring vodka into a mug. There are brief shots of the band's instruments as well – Patrick is seen holding a microphone, Jared Piccone is seen with his drum kit, Kris Barman is seen with a guitar, and Jesse Cronan is seen with a number of synthesizers.

There are a number of intertextual references within the video. There are references to channels that are dedicated to celebrity gossip and magazines– such as E! Channel, and two of the shots below represent a magazine style headline – which are mocked. There are also a number of religious references. Later on in the video, a cross is seen around the line “I am the closest thing to god”.

The artists, Innerpartysystem, are represented as being quite dark. Through the lyrics and the style of the video, it shows them as being slightly corrupt in some way. The video itself represents a corrupt society, via the idea of the corrupt newsreaders, and a society that immerses itself in celebrity culture. The track is sold via these ideas of a corrupt society. The flashy editing shows the band as being in the electronic genre, while the dark lighting shows their more rock genre side.

Sophie Ellis Bextor - Me & My Imagination
This video is typical of Ellis Bextor’s style – a cross between fantasy and reality, bright, colourful and full of action. There are four sequences in the video:
1) Takes place on an empty street, which then turns into a black studio
2) Features Ellis-Bextor dancing in the studio in front of a troupe of dancers, each wearing illuminated costumes of different colours
3) Takes place in a park
4) Has Ellis-Bextor finding cover from the rain in London
Genre
This video fits very well into it’s genre (dance pop) because of the vibrant colours and fast beat. The bright lights throughout the video subtly give off hints of being in a nightclub, and the dance routine also gives off this impression.
Lyrics
The lyrics in this video amplify the visuals, as some parts involve the idea that the viewer is actually in Ellis Bextor’s imagination. The bright lights and dancers give evidence to this, as they are things that wouldn’t be found in any normal situation.
Music
The video blends well with the music, and changes scenes when necessary. The video cuts to the black studio when the chorus starts, and the neon lights also appear. The slower beat towards the beginning of the chorus suggests a scene change, and then as the pace quickens, the neon lights appear. Throughout all the verses, a normal setting arises.
Camerawork
The camerawork on this video is pretty simple, but the techniques are very effective. A medium shot of the setting at the very beginning of the video gives the viewer an idea of where they are, and the neon light gives them an idea of what to expect. The use of an upwards pan from Ellis Bextor’s feet shows an image of her body, which in a way is quite sexualised. Following on from that, the video consists of mostly medium shots, with a couple of close ups on Ellis Bextor’s face to emphasise a point. Long shots are also used, but only to convey the setting and to also display the neon lights fully. A high angle shot is used twice during this video, once just before the neon lights appear in the third sequence, and once during the fourth sequence. This type of shot represents Ellis Bextor as partially vulnerable, partially childlike.
Editing
Unlike Ellis Bextor’s other videos, this one is mixing reality with fantasy. Even so, continuity is kept throughout the video. The pace slows down just before the chorus, and then quickens at the start of it. The scenes all link together, and the finishing scene is quite similar to the beginning one, as they both feature the neon lights in the shape of a heart. The closing scene is more vibrant though, as it is the only thing in shot.
The use of reality and fantasy make this video unique, but also make the editing a bit more challenging. The editos have successfully managed to link the video together to make the scenes flow smoothly and to make the viewer feel they are in Ellis Bextor’s imagination.
Narrative & Performance
This video is purely narrative based, and has used many references to different films, mainly from pre 1955. The video revolves mainly around the different sets Ellis Bextor is on, and mise-en-scene is used successfully to create a sense of normality that the audience can relate to. Props, such as the tables and chairs, show things that are commonly used, and the umbrella and park bench remind the audience (mainly British) of surroundings common to them, therefore making it easier for them to relate to. The red post box and red telephone box also make it easier for a British audience to comprehend.
Intertextuality
As previously mentioned, Ellis Bextor has taken inspiration from films of the pre 1955 genre, mainly musicals. “The Wizard Of Oz” and “Singin’ In The Rain” are the two main films used in this video, but inspiration has also been taken from other musicals that involve a scene on a street, for example “On The Town” and “Anchors Aweigh”. Specific reference to “The Wizard Of Oz” is used at the beginning of the video, when Ellis Bextor clicks her heels together 3 times. This was an iconic part of “The Wizard Of Oz”, and so the audience will automatically relate to it. Another scene from “The Wizard Of Oz” is portrayed in this video, when Ellis Bextor is sitting in the park with the dog. This mimics the scene with Dorothy falling asleep in the field.
“Singin’ In The Rain” has been copied a number of times in the video, but mainly when Ellis Bextor swings around the parking meter then leans on a lamp post, and stands in a doorway whilst the rain pours.
Representation
Ellis Bextor is portrayed in many ways during this video, but the main one is sexualised. Focus on her legs throughout the video emphasises this point. Focus on her body whilst she is dancing also emphasises this point.
Star Image
The image portrayed of Ellis Bextor is that she is British, due to the red telephone box, the park, the umbrella and the post box. Another image is that she is a sexual object, due to the shots of her legs and body throughout the video. Also her clothing and some ways that she poses give this impression.
Ellis Bextor released this single on May 7th, 2007, and it reached number 23 in the UK Singles Chart. It was also supposed to be released by iTunes UK the same day, but after a problem with the system, it did not get released until the 14th May. "Me and My Imagination" is currently on the Abercrombie & Fitch playlist in America, and is also often used on several “Supermodelo 2008” episodes (the Spanish version of “America's Next Top Model”).

Here is a copy of the letter we sent to Polydor, Sophie Ellis Bexter's record label.

Dear Polydor/Universal Music Group,

We are a group of A level students and are asking for your permission to use a song for our current A2 media project. The song we would like to use is 'Me and My Imagination' by Sophie Ellie Bextor. This is track two on the album 'Trip the Light Fantastic.'

Our project involves creating a music video and ancillary products, which include a digipack and a magazine advert. If we recieved your permission these would only be viewed by our media class, our teachers and the OCR examination board. It would not be released to a large audience.

Sophie Ellis Bextor and Polydor would be fully recognised throughout pre-production and the final product itself. A copyright notice, with wording provided by you, can be included at your request in our records of the project. If this is required, please send more details.

Sincerely,
Franky Cargius, Emma Abbott, Chanelle Bellis and Daniel Tydd.

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