Nerdcore - Mes en Scene

Though nerdcore rappers rhyme about anything from politics to science fiction, there are some perennial favorites in nerdcore subject matter, including Star Wars, role-playing games, science, fantasy and computers. There are hip hop artists who have recorded compositions which focus on similar topics, but who are not generally considered nerd core, this may relater to Dan because he only uses certain aspects of the genre. However the artist doesn't have to concentrate on those topics to be nerdcore: most of the songs by Frontalot do not focus narrowly on stereotypically nerdy topics. The difference is largely one of self-identification; the group Blackalicious does not identify as "nerds", while Frontalot does. My artist claims to be 'nerdy' but doesn't typically identify himself as a nerd. This is important for the music video because my artist has to be presented as nerdy without the nerdy identity, this makes it very hard to think about mes en scene because the artists identity is a strange mis of typical hip hop and nerdcore. 

 Within the Mes en scene of this Nerdcore artist there are many old bits of technology that denote the artists nerdyness. Throughout this music video we can see old keyboards, computers and folders. The setting of the whole video seems to be his parents basement, which is something closely considered with nerds. The clothing of the artist is coloured very plain this shows off his apparent dull personality. Furthermore the glasses specifically shout nerd to the audience. The reason I am looking at this is because I want to tease the audience with the mrs en scene because they would be expecting these types of props and costume in nerdcore. However because my artist isn't closely linked to the genre I have more flexibility with hat I put in the frame. I can either focus on the character that Dans pretending to be or I can choose to look at Dan himself.

Green Screen Music Videos

The music industry is not just a competitive market in terms of music but they also have the challenge of music videos. This is because of the internet and TV, which all are based of visual entertainment therefore this forces music producers to incorporate a video in order to market their product. Furthermore a green screen is substantially cheaper than going to loads of different locations, this further saves time because all the scenes take place in one area. However the preparation has to be planned well because lighting is extremely important in order to make the effect work.


The example above is a YouTube channel called Epic Rap Battles of History. These content creators use the full effect of green screens to re-create scenes from the films they are referencing and to place their characters on screen. I would love to use this technique in order to create an extravagant scene in which my artist is in many different locations, however the cost of lighting and the screen for a technique I'm not used to using is very risky.

Two more theories

Users and Gratification:

This theory is  to the hypodermic needle theory because it proposes a different idea where the audience is active instead of passive.

The theory is split into five different categories/needs:

Cognitive need - The viewer wants to learn from the source as much as they can therefore it is their choice to interact with the media.

Effect need - This is the viewer mood and emotions, they may look at some media that shares the same emotions with them or contrast them in order to get emotional pleasure.

Personal integrated need - The viewer chooses to look at media to boost their own self confidence.

Social Integrated need - Socializing about a text with friends and family. This may result in a new social group or fan club.

Personal Escape - The idea that they want to escape their own troubles in life.

 2 Step Flow:

The two-step flow of communication model,  says that most people form their opinions under the influence of opinion leaders, who in turn are influenced by the mass media. So according to this model, ideas flow from mass media to opinion leaders, and from them to a wider population. 

These ideas will help construct my media work because I will understand the further purpose of the product and why our viewers interact with it.

Permission to use Dans Music

The Hypodermic Needle Theory

History and Orientation: 
The "hypodermic needle theory" implied mass media had a direct, immediate and powerful effect on its audiences. The mass media in the 1940s and 1950s were perceived as a powerful influence on behaviour change.
Several factors contributed to this "strong effects" theory of communication, including:
- The fast rise and popularization of radio and television
- The emergence of the persuasion industries, such as advertising and propaganda
- The Payne Fund studies of the 1930s, which focused on the impact of motion pictures on children, and
- Hitler's monopolization of the mass media during WWII to unify the German public behind the Nazi party

The Theory:
The theory suggests that the mass media could influence a very large group of people directly and uniformly by ‘shooting’ or ‘injecting’ them with appropriate messages designed to trigger a desired response. 
The idea of a bullet or injection provides a specific target; a bullet fired from the "media gun" into the viewer's "head". This creates the idea that media is a dangerous means of communicating because the receiver or audience is powerless to resist the impact of the message. There is no escape from the effect of the message in these models. This means that a passive audience could suffer an impact of the "bullet".

Advantages:
- Use statistics to create an accurate representation of trends within audiences, this is a reliable source of information.
- Large Number of participants in order to create long lasting effects. 

Disadvantages: 
- Audiences may change their views from time to time making it hard to analyse the reception of information. Furthermore audiences are more aware of these messages and may not want to make a decision based upon them.
- The media is open to interpretation this can change the message and the message can be to simplistic and makes observing attitudes harder.

Music Video - History/Purpose

To understand how to make a music video I must first research the purpose of one and the history behind them. While researching this I found a timeline from the first recorded 'talkies' all the way up to 2010. This shows the ever growing expansion of music videos over the past 89 years.
Although they are all classed as 'music videos' the evolution of their purpose has changed with time, for example the original 'talkies' were the first step from the short film to a music video because these involved sound and visuals in order to provide entertainment. These were played in jukeboxes on a 16mm bit of film and this is where it is believed to have started the idea of a music video. This quickly changed into the first music video: St Louis Blues. This was created in 1929 and was first shown to audiences in theaters in 1932, the fact that these short films with a single music track music were even played in theaters shows the new founded popularity  these music videos. This then gave way for the music video to promote the music because it revived the song after three years. Long after this Disney made a short film with mickey mouse called 'Fantasia Mickey The Sorcerer's Apprentice'. Disney often used music as a device to tell a story in their films but this was the first one to be classed as a short film to music. This was probably the first ever music video I saw as a child because after all it's Disney. The short film tells the story of Micky through music, this set the way for music videos because it allowed a story to be told visually with a consistent sound track. 

This then created the 'Promotional Music Video' which changed the purpose for music videos in the 1940's. These videos usually promoted popular jazz artists at the time. These videos were further used with the rise of TV in the 1950's-60's allowing for more popular stars to get involved and promote the musicians. The rise of television and visual entertainment provided popular artists with new promotional material, for example the Beatles create a series of 10 short films in order to promote their new album in 1965. After the popularity of these videos became widespread MTV launched their own music channel and played the music videos 24hrs a day; this made music videos a central part to promoting an artists image to the public in the 1980s. In the 1990's directors were given credit for their work in music videos making them become more appealing to make for the people behind the camera. With the music industry exploding with new content for fans Apple created iTunes in order for music videos to be downloaded in 2005, this year also saw the start of YouTube which evolved into a major platform for music artists. This meant that artists could see their views and interact with fans unlike television. Lady Gaga then hit a billion views with her song poker face in 2010 however this was overshadowed by Psy who hit 2 billion in 2012. I want my product to be a great modern promotional music video that uses the conventions of an internet video in order to capture more of the viewers on YouTube. My product will use the internet like the more modern of the music videos in order to promote the artist.

Music Video - Style Choice

The style of music video that inspired is a series run by YouTube called "YouTube Rewind", the series consists of recapping the whole of the past year on YouTube, which is brought together through a unique music mix of popular tracks from that year. I want to use similar transitions as the directors used in these videos because the help the flow of the video and help get everything in to the video. Lastly the style is closely associated with the internet, which is what I want to achieve.

Chosen Brief 1 - Music Video - Genre

• Blog the genre of your music video
• the reason you chose it (thought process)

The brief that I have chosen is Brief 1, this consists of making a music video and a digital advertisement package to sell the artists music. I chose this brief because firstly I wanted to challenge my filmmaking skills but applying them to other forms of media; secondly I know that this brief will develop my skill set in product design. I want to be able to translate a design across many forms of media and media technologies to provide synergy for the artists brand furthermore I want to be able to bring together the visual advertisements and music video into one so that they both fit together well.

The genre of my artist falls under the the title 'Rap', this is often associated with the negative connotations about drugs, money and sex. However my artist challenges these conventions of these music videos because he uses rap as an art form to share his views on political issues and his love for video games. This allows many possibilities when looking at the genre of my music video because this is a relatively new form of music that appeals to the nerdier listeners, rap enthusiast and gamers. Trying to appeal to all of them visually will be an interesting challenge due to this form of music being viewed by many different types of people. Furthermore the way that the music is viewed is relatively modern because win the last decade the site YouTube has allowed for current popular artists and more less well know artists to post music videos on the site in order to gain popularity within the internet. The genre 'Nerd core rap' is the genre that I feel represents the majority of Dans music and I will be looking into it in order to what represents it visually.  I want to capture the honesty of this form of music by showing exactly what Dan raps about in his lyrics on screen, I would further make the whole video feel clever because I will use unique and visually interesting transitions in order to fit with the clever snappy lyrics.  "I mix hardcore, nerd core commercial rap" is a quote from the song I'm using (shown below). I want to incorporate the idea of these gamers becoming soldiers in the digital illusion of a video game and further want to explore this idea of nerds rapping. The song does have a game made music video, which consists of gam play matching the songs lyrics but I want to create a live action version of the video with different visuals.

More Film Theories - For the Exam and Shortfilm

Barthes - Narrative Codes:

These codes refer to the narrative again but focus on what the audience sees within a text compared to characters. I looked at these because I wanted to have a clear understanding of these codes if I was to make a short film. Our AS film opening did include some of these codes because we put them in there deliberately.

The Hermeneutic Code - hermeneutic code refers to plot elements of a story that are not explained. They exist as enigmas that the reader wishes to be resolved. A detective story, for example, is a narrative that operates primarily by the hermeneutic code. A crime is exposed or postulated and the rest of the narrative is devoted to answering questions raised by the initial event. These were present in the flashbacks because there is no explanation of who the character is within the flashback. Furthermore it shows small details of the protagonists past.

The Proairetic Code - proairetic code refers to plot events that apply the action a character has made, this creates tension not through mystery but through the characters choice in actions. This is present when our protagonist moves towards the window, this is cause he moves towards danger causing him to be at risk and makes the audience question his actions.

The Semic Code - signs of this code allow us to measure stereotypes and link them with characters and events. The semic code allows the text to 'show' instead of 'tell' by describing material things through signs. We used the older character as a main protagonist because it instantly connotes weakness further implied by his surroundings.

The Symbolic Code - symbolic code refers to a structural structure that organizes meanings by way of antitheses, binary oppositions or sexual and psychological conflicts. These oppositions can be expressed through action, character and setting. Our entire film was based of psychological challenges the main character faces.

The Cultural Code - cultural code designates any element in a narrative that refers to common bodies of knowledge such as historical, mythological or scientific. The cultural codes point to knowledge about the way the world works as shared by a community or culture.

Todorov's Equilibrium Theory

Todorov's theory is that in a film or story, the power is in a state of equilibrium (balance.) Todorov believes that as the story progresses the state of equilibrium can change, giving one person more power or authority over another throughout the plot, keeping the audience entertained. Each story should start with an initial Status Quo/Power set up of a person or within a group. This person or group has authority over others. However, the equilibrium is changed after a disruption, resulting in disequilibrium. The old equilibrium is broken, and therefore a new one must begin. This will repeat during the narrative until we reach a final equilibrium.

Todorov believes the theory to progress in five stages;
1. There is an equal balance and initial equilibrium.
2. The equilibrium is disrupted by an event. (Disequilibrium)
3. There is recognition of the disruption occurring.
4. There is an attempt to repair the damage done by the disruption.
5. A return or restoration of a new equilibrium at the end of the narrative.

We wanted our film to consistently have a continuing disequilibrium to show that metal illness doesn’t hold an escape; this is because we found that these brave soldiers can be broken by the illness and this is why our character is weak. We also used the flash becks to upset the equilibrium at the beginning of the film.

Film Theories - For the Exam and Shortfilm

Propps Theory:

This theory applies to narrative, I am looking at this theory because I want to recognize the certain aspect of characters used in film making, so that if I want to a create story I can use these in order to defy them or use them in order to have a gripping narrative.The theory consists of identifying certain characters within a narrative, which help order and tell the story.

The characters consisted of:

1. The villain (Often is against the hero)
2. The donor (Prepares the hero for the villain or provides objects)
3. The *magical* helper (Helps the hero in the journey/quest)
4. The princess (person the hero marries, often sought for during the narrative)
5. The false hero (perceived as good character in beginning but emerges as evil)
6. The dispatcher (character who makes the lack known and sends the hero off)
7. The hero [AKA victim/seeker/paladin/winner, reacts to the donor, weds the princess

In AS we had to make a film opening and this entailed thinking about these theories. However because our opening was merely introducing the character and building tension we didn't include many different character variations. This was because in the beginning we want to have our main protagonist weak and in need of the 'helper' character but this was unable to to become a reality because of filming issues. On the o0ther hand we did have an antagonist (the villain) who was a distant memory, which traumatized our protagonist.

 Strauss Theory:

In film there are many opposites to explain narrative, the difference between good and evil is a common factor in a story and Strauss believed that binary opposites are used to help the audience understand. These were most common in characters and mise en scene, this is because directors used light and dark to connote evil and good. We used this in our film opening by having contrasting lighting is scenes to connote difference in mood

Final Thoughts on Briefs

Brief 1: Music Video

A promotion package for the release of an album, to include a music promo video, no longer than five minutes duration, together with:

• A cover for its release as part of a digipack (CD/DVD package)
• A magazine advertisement for the digipack (CD/DVD package)

The music video is probably the most appealing to me because it is what I wanted to do even before AS, however in my research I have found out that this brief is most likely the mist challenging in terms of digital promotion packs and prep. Furthermore actually finding a song is a challenge because of copyright and finding the genre I want. However me being me, this is what I love about. I love the fact its a challenge because it gives me opportunities to challenge myself as a content creator in order to create something new. In addition to this I do think that I have the necessary skills in order to create the digital promotional pack that represents the artist well. The music video is defiantly something that I want to do but it will  be a challenge so I will look at the other briefs, which are more in my comfort zone.

Brief 3: Television and Radio Advert

An advertising package for a new product or service, to include two TV advertisements, together with

• a TV programme sponsorship sequence
• a radio advertisement

To start with I thought that the television advert would be the one that doesn't appeal to me because it requires much less of a challenge compared to the others. The reason I thought this is because it only consists of two 10 second adverts. However after extensive research into what makes a good advert I found that adverts have to achieve a lot in a short space of time. This is why I may consider it because it requires to get certain information across to the audience while entertaining them, all in ten seconds. Due to this being more of a challenge than I thought I am considering to do this. I think that I have the necessary skills in order to create a series professional adverts that have the consistent layout audiences would recognize.

Brief 10: Short Film

A short film in its entirety, lasting approximately five minutes, which may be live action or animation or a combination of both, together with:

• a poster for the film
• a film magazine review page featuring the film

The short film has always been appealing to me especially because of the recent work in AS. I would love to make a high quality film that would really capture the same effect of a professionally made short film. On the other hand I would be daunted by the challenge of doing it all myself, this is because on the last project I had a group. The group allowed tasks to be spread out between members and this meant I could think about the film instead of other tasks.  This has put me off making a short film because I need a group to help me, just to spread the amount of tasks and challenges I will encounter. I would consider this brief because I do enjoy making short films and would love to make another.

Narrative, Genre & Representation of Briefs

• Music Video - The music video has a narrative, it doesn't represent a short film to music. The reason for this is because a short film doesn't share the same conventions as a short film. This is represented within the shot usage such as: Mid, long and close up shots being used the most because the purpose of the video is usually to emphasize the artist instead of a narrative. The use of mes en scene is usually used to represent certain themes that the song is connoting. The lighting is music videos are often emphsized compared to most short films, which use lighting to provide a natural look, this is a destinct feature in music videos. Lastly the editing includes a lot of jump cuts in order to distort reality and often stops continuity unlike a short films.

• Advert -  Narrative allows the advert to have a story while trying to push and show a brand however some adverts don't use this because they don't have enough time. On the other hand the ads potentially could have a light combination of the two, to engage the audience. There is not really Genres of adverts, they usually use comedy but some sustain a much darker tone. Furthermore they use vast stereotypes to attract audiences.

• Short Film - Representation is thought through much more in short films because films precept reality and the film can convey or de-construct and challenge stereotypes. This can lead to people making assumptions about people in real life because of a film. A gripping story will make or break a film short, this will determine everything that happens within the film including the tone, genre, characters, and narrative.

Research: Brief 10 - Past Examples

For the short film brief I looked at a past students work called 'narco'. The student used sound and story to effectively grip an audience. This shows that making this film heavily relies on the story in it. This means I will have to develop my script writing in order to effectively write a string story that is original and can be gripping for the hole five minutes. The characters in the short consisted of criminals and this alone is enough to grip most viewers because we don't often see a lot of films about the criminals, they are usually just there to create conflict or to upset the narrative. The use of interesting typography without capitals really depicted the characters personality and views towards society, this is an important aspect towards making a short film.

Research: Brief 10 - ShortFilm

A short film in its entirety, lasting approximately five minutes, which may be live action or animation or a combination of both, together with:

• a poster for the film
• a film magazine review page featuring the film

When it comes down to this brief I believe that very specific skills are required in order to pull off the professional look that just about every short film has in the modern age. This is because I will have to research and develop my film making skills in order to improve upon previous work. Furthermore holding an audience for five minutes will be a challenge due to the fact that I have never made anything good over two minutes. In order to achieve a professional look for double the amount of time I am used to I will have to research conventions for different genres of film and see of I can use them  or defy them if I was to make my own. Furthermore I will be looking at past examples from A2 students to see how close they got to creating a professional short film.

• An Exciting & Original Idea - This will make the short film stand out from the other cliche ideas that over saturate the current film market. Original ideas usually are inspired from past films or videos so it is always good to develop the idea before making the idea looking at conventions and how the will shape the film.
• A Strong Script - If the film has dialog it is important that it sounds natural and complements whats on screen, without this the film will feel flat because the actors won't be selling the world that the film is trying to create.
• Good Acting - Acting can make or break a film thereofore if the characters are not played by the correct actor it can be hard to believe the story. To avoid this I usually use just one actor or maybe two actors who speak so I can cast them correctly.
• High Production Values - This is important because the right equipment can make a film look more professional than it actually is for example audio is usually a big issue in the student film making genre. This is because of bad equipment.
• Make It Short - By using time wisely you van make sure that you are griping the audience throughout instead of dragging out the story.
• Strong Beginning - The strong opening is important in order to keep the audience watching.
• Avoid Repetition & Punchline Twists - By analsying the story and script it is easy to change conventions in order to surprise your audience and keep them gripped.  

The first film I analysed as an example was 'Real Gone', the reason I wanted to look at this is because it used a very interesting topic to achieve comedy. I want to look at comedy because I want to try and make my own comedy short film for this assignment. I am comfortable with slapstick however this film raised the bar and very nearly crossed the line by combining drama and comedy. The film is a personal favorite of mine; the use of VFX to sell the story and improve shots: the fire, gun and TV. The color correction was based off the TV series called 'Breaking Bad', I dunno if you have herd of it. This is crossing the line of television and film, again something which is rarely done. The cinematography of the film really worked well with the story this means that while making a short film I would have to think about lighting as much as directing in order to improve my short film.

The second short film I looked at is a fan made short film about the power rangers, the film is titled 'Power Rangers Unauthorized' and is set in a much darker universe to the power rangers I grew up with. The opening was extremely interesting because it opened in first person, which is an interesting shot choice to open a film. It is these conventions that are usually broke within short films and that is why I love them so much. The action further takes place at the beginning to grip the audience, another aspect I would like to explore. This shows that short films can be used to explore other ideas about the same character however this is heavily VFX and is out of reach when it comes down t me doing it.

Research: Brief 3 - Past Examples

The student who made this really utilised the same typography in both the advert and the package, this would allow for the consistency to create a strong brand. Furthermore the use of characters in the adverts stayed consistent much like the brand this allowed for them to become more recognisable to an audience, therefore if they are liked it means that the advert becomes easier to watch. This is a similar technique used in Aviva adverts, which are brilliant when it comes for stereotypes. The Aviva adverts use the same actor to provide relatable comedy and this allows them to grip an audience and still keep consistency throughout. The student has used this to make the ad more relatable to teens by having a group of friends. 



In addition the student has chosen an appropriate television program to sponsor because the Kardashians are often associated with makeup and fashion. This means that the viewers would be looking for makeup products, this means that the audience would be more likly to purchase the product because of the show they are watching. However while analysing the students advert I did notice that the advert didn't say they were sponosring the TV show, this could lose possible viewers because if you say that often people will look back at the screen because its associated with the program. Another problem was the unnessorsary walking shots, which only would lose an audiences attention.

Research: Brief 3 - Television Advert

An advertising package for a new product or service, to include two TV advertisements, together with

• a TV programme sponsorship sequence
• a radio advertisement

When it comes down to the other brief I believe that very specific skills are required in order to pull off the professional look and synergy to create the consistency within the product advertised. 

Looking at television adverts and the packages that come with it there are some basic conventions that are presented throughout. In order for the product to be advertised professionally I would have to use the same typography in both the advert and the package, this would allow for the consistency to create a strong brand for the product. Creating a brand when advertising is important because it allows for the audience to recognise the product and therefore are more likely to interact with it, this in turn makes the audience a possible consumer. This would mean that the task would entail designing the products logo and slogan that would be present in every advertisement product for the product to provide the constancy. Furthermore the slogan could also be in the form of a jingle in order for the advert to be recognised through the radio, this allows synergy to take place easier throughout the package, TV and Radio adverts.

The examples below show some of the defying conventions of a TV advert and the differences in styles between them. The first example was the fist ever TV advert, the reason I looked at this is because I wanted to see if the format had changed. After watching the advert the evidence is there to show that the format hasn't changed, this is because right up until modern adverts the still are voiced over. The reason for this is because usually adverts need the best audio because they are aired on TV and radio. Furthermore if the advert is show abroad it can just be re-voiced over instead of remade. This is the reason that most international products don't show people talking.

The second and example both show that most products or services are advertised with the aspect of comedy. The reason behind this is because they want the advert to be rememberable for the viewer; one of the best ways to do this is by making an audience laugh. Furthermore by using comedy the audience is more likely to watch the advert and with the aspect of the internet it can make the advert sharable. however this does mean that because adverts have to achieve comedy in such a short space of time they usually consist of really bad stereotypes, which are exaggerated for a quick comedic effect. For example the extreme posh lady in the cream egg or the two teenagers in the third example. This would be something I would have to think about if I was to make one.

Research: Brief 1- Past Examples

The first student I looked was Oscar Bath, the reason for this is his work was considered a 'good piece' of work. The student took to the streets of London and Uxbridge to create a conventional rap music video. The urban set in the video shows the backstory of the artist and reflects their background. The use of the greys and darker colors challenges the conventions of those colors being negative and instead I felt portrayed a very positive tone throughout. This music video shows that making the music videos entails a lot about setting and location. This is because while the artists sings the song, the background reflects more about the artist and what they are trying to say. I did like the way in which the video did this effectively. Furthermore the use of timelapses worked
well to set the tone and location. 


However I do believe that the video lacked visual stimulation for the viewer, this because of a lack of color correction and lighting to create interesting shapes within the frame. This made the video repetitive for the viewer and ended up causing a flat frame. For example in the shots where he is rapping to the camera, the student could have used shallow in order for the artist to be the center of attention. Furthermore the a variety of angles would have kept my attention better.Lastly the videos audio is the most off putting, this is because the audio was muffled and made it a huge distraction when trying to understand the artist.

Research: Brief 1 Music Video

This unit will assess the following:

• AO3: your ability to plan and construct media products using appropriate technical and creative skills
• AO2: your application of knowledge and understanding in evaluating your own work, showing how meaning and responses are created
• AO4: your ability to undertake, apply and present appropriate research

You will produce the following:

• a media portfolio, comprising a main and ancillary texts
• a presentation of your research, planning and evaluation in electronic format

When it comes down to this brief I believe that very specific skills are required in order to pull off the professional look that just about every music video has in the modern age. This is because I will have to research what makes a good music and what doesn't by analysing other peoples work from semi-professionals like YouTubers all the way to the professionals at the top of the music business. I will have to research conventions for different genres of music and see of I can use them  or defy them if I was to make my own. Furthermore I will be looking at past examples from A2 students to see how close they got to creating a professional music video.

Firstly I went on the internet to have a look at some of my favourite music videos, this was important for me because I am not the biggest fan of music; I am more of a visual person. However I do love it when a music video compliments the music and they work in unison to create a truly amazing experience. 

I looked at several music videos from both YouTubers such as 'Smosh' and 'NigaHiga' to get an idea of what they have done even though they aren't fully considered 'professionals' although I'm sure others would argue differently. This is because these people aren't mainstream music artists and usually make music videos that either mock the mainstream industry or simply defy the conventions within it. The reason for me looking at these is to get a better understanding of what can be achieved by using and defying conventions.
         

Furthermore I looked at music artists considered to be more 'professional' because they are within the music industry and have made countless hits both on the web, television and radio. The artists included: Eminem, Taylor Swift and Sia. This is because of their incredible music videos made with extreme budgets and bundles of talent. I looked at these because I wanted to know what makes a music video different from a film with music and how they allow a story to be told while still maintaining a music video.

These music videos are all very different, this is because they have different objectives besides entertainment. Firstly we have the two YouTubers 'Smosh' who's aim in this video is to sell their constant running joke of "Dixon Cider". This shows the comical aspect of some music videos, which is rare in the mainstream industry but is often seen as a common theme across YouTube with creators such as: The Lonely Island, Bart Baker and Shane Dawson all using music videos to parody artists like Taylor Swift. This tells me that making a music video like this would have to contain visual jokes/gags that link in to the lyrics in order for this to work. I also know that this would only work with songs wrote for the video and would have to be planned together. This is possible however would take a lot longer because I would have to work with someone to write a song.         

Sia's music video 'Chandelier' focusses on emotion through both the hard to understand lyrics and the power of dance. The reason I looked at this is because of the beautiful simplicity of the video, by following this child dancer around the warn down decaying house presented in the silence at the beginning provided a massive impact when the chorus kicked in. This shows that the music video can really help the music get the message and emotions across. However as this would be my fist music video I wouldn't be to confident in pulling this off because I would firstly need really good lyrics and an even better idea for the music video. On the other the equipment used to make this was straight forward and easy to get hold of, therefore I would defiantly try it if I found an artists. Lastly I loved the colour correction in the video because of the greys and blacks, which made the sunlight really look magical.

Eminem's music videos are extremely well made however I really liked 'RapGod' because the music video helps the build up towards one of the fastest raps I have ever heard. This is also great because of the use of a green screen in the video to create digital backgrounds to link with the lyrics "Rapbot". The use of the video provides an impact in all of these videos making it very important that the song links well and that they work together in order to create this impact. The issues I have with the music video is the artist and the song because I need to pick a genre and at the moment I am unable to choose one if I was to do this. Furthermore the music video I have in mind requires a lot of editing and time, which I don't know if I have yet. The next step I shall take is analysing past students work and seeing if it's possible to achieve and then look at the other brief.

AS Media Blog (Link)

http://geeepicmedia.blogspot.com/