PUP - Guilt Trip [Narrative Stucture]

The music video 'Pup - Guilt Trip' is the example I looked at to better understand narrative structure within music videos. This music video can closely link to the idea of children and bullying, which I would like to explore in my video. The continuity in the characters allows for the structure to close at the end because we know where the children ended up, however this music video further challenges this because it allows for the story to continue on within the older versions of the characters. This almost forms an interactive structure, I will have to look at my concepts and ideas to do with this because it will inform me of the conventions then. Interactive structure can change on different factors therefore constantly pressuring change within the story, which can keep an audience gripped throughout the music video while engaging with the audio. 

Being able to keep the continuity of the characters using props throughout the music video allows the narrative to both introduce the characters and be able to show them growing up. This is further supported by the continuity of actions in the video, and by cutting instantly between them the audience can easily link which character is who. Lastly having the characters then lip sync at the end as a unit really shows the band form, this is further a significant moment in the video.

My idea amplifies the artists beliefs and ideas within the song, therefore I have to make the video and the song link throughout to achieve the idea of amplification.The circular narrative of this music video is one that I feel would be a great target to achieve because it adds mystery to begin with but as the music video progresses we learn as a viewer what is going on, then we return to the same opening shot with a sense of knowledge. Some narratives within music video creation are anti-realist narratives and are more abnormal like cartoons because it shows the originality of an artist, this leaves a big option for me to create an abstract art within my music video. Lastly  would like to incorporate the climax in the middle of the music video but cutting out the music for about ten seconds and showing the climax take place, this creates drama and will be memorable and recognisable.

The Horrors - "She is the new thing" [Performance Music Video]

The Horrors - "She is the new thing" is a music video I have researched because of the style it is. The video is a performance based music video purely focusing in the band. These videos usually consist of the artist on stage performing however I was interested in how the creators used VFX to keep the idea fresh and visually pleasing. This is why I would love to master a greenscreen; it opens a vast amount of options in creating something visually interesting. I will be looking at creating scenes in which my arist performs however the character will be replacing the artist. This is where I want to bring in the idead of creating a hybrid between narrative music videos and performance ones.

The use of VFX in the video set the tone and style by making the video seem gritty. This is important to me when creating my music video because I want to capture the tone of my artist. The editors created used the colour black to depict the band, this links with the Gothic tone of the video. The rang of creatures such as spider, crows and wolfs are all related to the idea of danger and death. This linked with the bold red of the blood shows denotes the band as Gothic rock. This is a perfect example of how the music video links closely to the audio and this is what I want to achieve.

Regulations and Restrictions - Censorship

Censorship is the suppression of  information which may be considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, politically incorrect or inconvenient as determined by governments, media outlets, authorities or other groups or institutions. Due to me being my own media outlet this give me the power to choose how censored my work will be with in reason. The reason I want to research this before I start because I don't want to have to cut out scenes that have taken time to make, due to them falling under the highlighted categories. Furthermore my artists aim isn't to shock his listeners but more to entertain. I don't think that including controversial issues is going to benefit my artists image. However I will most likely include violence because of the subject matter I have chosen to link with the music: Conflict. This does mean I may have to consider looking into an explictic version.

Age cetificats are beocoming more common for music videos because of the abstract concepts and ideas, which at the momment are open to anyone. I want to research this because of the ideas presented in my video and I want to make it sharable. 

"Censorship may be direct or it may be indirect, in which case it is called soft censorship. It occurs in a variety of different media, including speech, books, music, films, and other arts, the press, radio, television, and the Internet" - merriam-webster.com 

Audience Research - Survey

I created this survey to find out more about my audience, this is so I can be confident that I will get a good response to my product because the music video will be heavily influenced by my target audience. Furthermore I want to make sure I am targeting the right people [Young Adults and Teens] because otherwise I may get a bad response if I make content for the wrong people. I will be sharing this on social media, this is because I feel that my target audience are easier to find on the internet than anywhere else.

The survey further allows me to look into the genre I will be working in because I have to identify the target audience in order to find the codes and conventions that relate to my media product. I want to identify this early on otherwise I may run the risk of having to backtrack my work to fit with my audience exceptions. My goal is to meet these expectations while still maintaining originality and providing an entertaining experiencing for the viewer.


Create your own user feedback survey

Analyses - Eminem The Monster [Smoke Cinematography]

The reason that I am looking at Eminem again is because of smoke cinematography and the way the music videos narrative unfolds. Through the analyses, which will unfold after this, I have found a profound interest in smoke cinematography and wish to use it in my music video where needed to either create mystery or create a distinction between separate narratives within the video. I have screen shotted key points in the video that appeal to my research and analyses.

The opening sequence immediately sets a distorted tone by defying the typical setting of "therapist" and defiantly screams "metal health issues". This sequence closely links with film noir, a technique/genre I would love to explore in my own work. I love the way the smoke adds depth to a shot; creating an atmosphere in which reflects the mood of both the artist and the song. The application of film noir in this shot [shown to the left] shows the mystery surrounding his mental health by creating a silhouette of the artist even tho everyone watching the video knows who the silhouette is. The light rays shine through illuminating the room, this creates an abnormal feel to the music video. This further shows the foreshadowing the death of Eminem's alternate self.

The music video setup is very important to the viewer because it helps them understand the concept of the video is that Eminem's alternate self is a 'Monster'. The current artist is now looking back upon his career either through the medias eyes in his head. The video throughout carries an inception vibe. The elevator is representing his career with the various highlights of his career on the way.  The surreal feel of the music video is really captured by the use of smoke and is something I really want to use. Furthermore by going on a journey with the artist the connection becomes stronger and this keeps the viewer gripped throughout.

Secondary Research - Youtube Tutorial

This video is for beginners and is more about an artist creating their own than the creator being an aspiring director. The tips are simple but useful and a good place to start when think about making a music video. The Youtuber talks about achieving a good music video with really basic equipment. I will be looking into tips and tricks on Youtube to see if I can get a professional look on a budget.

Where am I? - Progress Tracker [Research]

To keep on track towards my goal I will be blogging about my progress in these blogs, which I will call my 'Progress Tracker'. This will cover my research and planning checklist.

Firstly I have chosen my brief after researching all of my options and have come to the decision of a music video. I chose the brief because I see it as the most challenging but still possible when it comes to creating it by myself. I wanted to challenge my knowledge of film making by looking into abstract forms of media; music videos are the best form of abstract media for me because it still holds conventions upon which I can either defy or follow. This allows for guidance while still creating an abstract art form.

To progress from my last project I have included a link to my previous blog so that I can look at what I did badly and improve on it so that this music video can be an improved compared to the work from last year. I further want to use other peoples analyses of music videos as a secondary source for information. This will allow for me to gain other opinions therefore I will have an idea of how critics would react to my media product compared to the general public.

I further wanted to improve my understanding of music videos by researching the different conventions and genres within music video production. I looked at a lot of rap music because I wanted to gain a vast understanding of the conventions within that genre because it reflects the type of music I will be using. However I haven't yet begun to research the creation of Digi-packs which I need to do in order to understand what they include and what I have to do. However I am confident with my Photoshopping ability so I am sure I can pull off a professional look.  Furthermore I need to look into album covers because in order to have professional look I have to have a convincing album cover that represents my artist. To research this I will be looking at albums covers and analysing common conventions within rap.

Although I have identified several problems before starting I would want to do this throughout the process in separate blog posts so I can solve the problem before it arises. This can smooth out the process because I wont have to worry as much about technical aspects allowing me to be focused on the creation. However I will have to research into regulations and restrictions when it comes to producing this music video. I will have to research in age certificates possibly make an 'Explicit' version and a 'Censored' version. Furthermore there will be challenges of where I can film and who.

To understand fully how my audience will receive my product I will be posting questionnaires to gain primary research about music videos they have seen and my music video ideas. This will also allow me to find a target audience which can influence the process of an 'Explicit' version. To understand how other students went about the process and see what they created I will look at their blogs and how they went about their tasks like the digipack and further research their final product in depth.