Taylor Swift - Better Than Revenge

OUR NEW SONG

:D

Better Than Revenge - Analysed by our group to how we want it to be

New Song

As I had a very important deadline to keep, I wasn't involved too much in picking the next song that was chosen. But both Emma and Sophie looked through various female artists such as:

- Ke$ha
- Amy Studt
- Pink
- Avril Lavigne
- Lady Gaga
- Taylor Swift

After they had looked through them all, and were left with a couple of songs to choose between they sort my help. As I listened to them I too was stuck on what song would be better for us to do our video too, however we all came to a mutual decission that Taylor Swift - Better Than Revenge would be the best thing for us to choose.

We all felt that the song was very easy to come up with ideas of what we could do with it, as well as being able to rely on ourselves which wasn't possible with the other song we had choosen. The song has a very clear beat and lyric choice which will allow us to come with a good narrative story. As I had to carry on with revision, they were coming up with ideas however as soon as it is over I'm sure that I will be able to think of things that will help make this video amazing.

Change of Song

As we were all thinking about making the story boards for Deja Vu we soon realised how difficult it might be for us to do. We all suddenly started expressing our own doubts about the making of it.

We realised that we would have to rely on other people throughout the whole of the making of it, as our group is girls and the singers voices on the song are male it would have been a lot to ask of other people.

We were also realising that many of the kinds of places we would want to film would be unrealistic, as we would need a club kind of scene and nearly all of us at the time were under age so we couldn't just go filming in a club. We also didn't have use to a taxi either.

Overall Deja Vu was just coming up with problem after problem and we decided that the hassle just wasn't worth the energy.

Now we are all planning on listening to FEMALE artists as it is clearly going to be more suitable when picking our next and final song. So that is our homework for the next lesson.

Research on 3OH!3

I had recently been to a concert of 3OH!3's and so knew what their stage prescence was like, if we were going to simulate any live performances within our final music video. They were extremely lively and never stood in one spot. One thing which I noticed they are also very keen in is keeping the audience involved, even though the audience are obviously their they weren't just ignoring us which makes it a fun performance and not a boring one. They weren't taking themselves too seriously and were often making fun out of one an other on stage, and this is shown within music videos which they had done as they never do really take themselves that seriously.

http://www.3oh3music.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvf--10EYXw - Starstruk - 3OH!3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdB3Oyd5HtU - Don't Trust Me - 3OH!3

In this video it is them creating a scenario of them being the last male models alive on the planet. Obviously this scenario isn't realistic, however, as we as an audience know this and they are aware that we do they are very much playing on that fact. They are allowing there fantasies and dreams along with the lyrics that they have explore and make such interesting videos.

They are almost taking the 'micky' out of the press and the way in which celebrities are and act with the scenes in which they are being photographed, as it is all very extravagont and over the top. However throughout the video they are always lip synced so nothing is out of sync. The edits are all on time, for example when the taller singer (Nat) is in a barbaric video shoot and comes to the camera going to hit it, it changes to a different scene which is all being in sync with the music to make the music video flow.

When looking at what 3OH!3 were like as a band this was very helpful.

All in all when thinking about creating a music video, you need to have a real flow for the audience to be able to understand what it is happening. However, every now and then the fluidity needs to be broken, saying this it is a contridiction to what I said but the main point of a music video is to remember that it is a MUSIC VIDEO and that the audience should be focussing on the music behind it as that is what they are trying to sell to you.

3OH!3

As a group we felt that this song Deja Vu would be best to use for our music video. As we had all listened to it we were all coming up with many different kind of ideas which we could film.

This song gave us all clear views of what we would be able to create. For example when it talks about a bar tender we were kind of invisaging a point of view shot from the bartender looking at the person singing, and it being quite an intimate kind of shot. Also when it talks about the taxi scene, then we would use a camera both outside a car looking in at the passenger, and a camera within the car looking at the singer as though it was looking from the drivers seat to the singer.

As all of our ideas were flowing we were finding it more and more exciting and thought that it would all work out really well. As you do when your planning and getting excited we thought it would lead to A* quality material.

Practise Music Video

As a group we had to make a film to practise editing and syncing our lips and words within the song together. As a group we decided we should do something that didn't mean we took ourselves too seriously and basically which made us look like complete fools. I suggested we should do 'Moto Moto - Chunky', this song is a part of the film Madagascar 2 and just always makes me laugh. Emma and Sophie both had a listen and thought it was perfect too. This meant as a group we could just embarrass all ourselves rather than just taking it too seriously.

Filming this wasn't a problem, we did it all within the school grounds and used our uniform as it was mainly too check that we could lip sync everything together in the long run.

When we were editing it was a lot to get to grips as none of us were expert in this area and we all had used different software otherwise. However, once reading the instructions which were given to us we were all able to create something which allowed us to have a music video which was synced well.

** VIDEO **

Ideas of Artists and Songs

As a group we came together and tried to think of artists and bands which would be good for us to use. We were all thinking along the lines of pop or indie as a genre as it is quite wide and the music is generally good for being able to make useful cuts and so on. Also all of the artists within this genre of music all seem to have really creative and enthusiastic music.

We started by thinking of artists like:
- Ke$ha
- 3oh!3
- P!nk
- Katy Perry
- Taylor Swift
- Nickleback
- Rihanna

As a group we were really liking the idea of doing a video for 3OH!3 as they are a very current band and so we are all going to look for songs which they have done and see what we be appropriate for our music video.

Finding Out The Groups for Coursework

Amy Rushmer
Emma Langschied
Sophie Grayling

I was pleased to find that I was in a group with Emma and Sophie.


We need to...

• Decide on a music genre
• A few artists we feel comfortable from within that genre
• Narrow it down to a few songs
• Pick a song that we all like, and are willing to work with
• Get ideas together for that song

Production Company: ASE Productions
Artist Name: Emma Lang



( As a group I think you can see we are going to work well together ;) )

Album Artwork

Album Cover Art

The album cover design establishes the genre of music and the identity of the artists. The way in which the album cover is designed gives the artists credibility, for example they might be making a point about something, or just advertising themselves some more. The cover of the artists album needs to attract the right audience and catch people's attention who maybe wouldn't go for that sort of music otherwise, the album cover is acting as a persuasive measure to entice people into buying it. The artists can make the album original, inventive or just conventional depending on what it is they are trying to achieve. The covers help communicate about the artists and how they feel using codes and conventions.

Four conventions you would expect to see in the album cover:

1) Band name

2) Album title

3) Central image

4) Artist

The Beatles - Sargeant Peppers Loney Hearts Club Band

Uses pop art which is merging of popular culture and high art, (widely used by Andy Warhol and Peter Blake) The album cover was designed by Peter Blake - one of the most famous pop art artists in Britain The Beatles cover was the first to break convention of the time and it was therefore revolutionary

In the album cover:

- Flowers - the flowers saying Beatles are code for the hippy lifestyle, peace and love, flower power

- Drums - code for music and musicality, circus themed and you link the circus with - performance/entertainment/fun/enjoyment

- Costume - vibrant millitary style, which defeats the point of millitary idea/juxtaposes

- Music instruments - are like the weapons with the costume - again ironic

- Facial expressions - serious, so they are serious about there music - Blue Sky - code for happiness, freedom, summer of love, exotic, warm, peaceful, heavenly, which is what they represent - island on there own (own league), beyond the normal boundaries

- Iconic famous people within the collage on the album cover - suggesting the Beatles are now icons

- Where they are positioned is a code for there importance

Nirvana - Never Mind

- Ideological album cover

- American society is corrupt - political statement on album cover

- Water - blue, calm, serene, code for freedom

- Baby - worry free, no troubles, innocence, purity

- Money - baby doesn't need it, corrupt society, greed, influencing, dollar bill $$

- American society - greed

- Font style - Nirvana - ironic, - bold/serious/simple/music more important/sophisticated style/elegance/pride

- Never mind - distorted, as though in water, stoned

- Both are black, not really caring about self image

Busted



- This album cover doesn't have the album name on it which is breaking the common conventions
- All of the band members are present on the front which is a common convention of pop albums
- There band name is playing on the image represented behind them 'Busted' as though they have been caught for something they had done, which is why there is the height lines behind them as though there going to prison
- Although it's supposed to show them as 'rebellious' as they are singing pop music their costume isn't particularly representing this - they all look like normal teenagers
- Body language - the body language is trying to incorporate the mise-en-scene and their band name, they are trying to all look like hard prisoners (which they aren't)
- Graphology - the font looks as though it is a stamp which is stamping as them as 'bad teens'
- Colour scheme - the colours are all black, white and red apart from the bands clothing

3OH!3



- Very simplistic
- Focussing on the music rather than the people behind it
- The hands are a symbol for the band themselves - (as it is 3 fingers so 3 then an O and another 3)
- The album is called streets of gold so the hands being that colour is all mixing in together
- It follows general album conventions by having both the artist name on the front and the album name as well
- The graphology of the text is quite small compared to the code of the hands for the bands name

What Would You Expect in a Music Video?

Conventional...

• These videos follow a formula
• The codes are very obvious and well established
• The codes are typical
• They adhere to the expectations of the audience

Original...

• These videos try to suprise or shock the audience
• They use striking imagery to engage the audience
• They avoid a formulaic approach

10 Things you would expect from an R&B video..

• Big/over the top jewellery
• Hats
• Ladies (with not a lot on)
• Muscles
• Cars
• Dance routines
• Designer labels
• Sunglasses
• Fade edits/the cheese factor
• Bedroom - black satin sheets and animal prints
• Very quick edits in time with the music

Music Video - Analysis

Green Day - Wake Me Up When September Ends



Codes (which is the meaning)..

• yellow flowers - showing warmth, romance, summer, young love
• body language - this shows a lot, how they are very close - shown through close ups giving a real intensity to the couple and their young love
• bright coloured background - happiness
• mise-en-scene - is very realistic and shows a sense of normality - there is a garden and washing hanging around in the background
• completely different to when the band is shown - which is stylised and red and black
• hand on face - is showing the worry and stress
• different REALITIES
• ideology and anti - war

Conventions (something you would expect to see within the genre)..

• narrative - begins with opening dialogue
• intimate camera work - there are a series of close ups
• sound bridge - to show the band playing
• extreme close up - on the eye
• camera in and out of focus - this is blurring the scene which is often done in music videos
• non diegetic sound track over the people
• band - you see them as though they are performing live
• jux to position - the army is completely different
• cinematic - looks a lot like a film

Eminem ft. Rihanna - Love The Way You Lie

Codes..

• Fire - the fire is emphasising the destruction, pain, passion, anger within the emotions of the characters in the video
• mise-en-scene - is very realistic
  - the couple aren't really rich, this is seen from their small and quite grungy home
  - or adhere to normal rules, you see this from when they are stealing from the supermarket type shop
  - you are given a real insight into their lives, making it quite realistic
  - light comes from behind them - which is a reference to the fire
• costume - the costumes which they are wearing throughout, is very relevant to how they are living and the sorts of lives that they are carrying out throughout the music video
• point of view shot - this is within the narrative part of the music video, and it shoes a numer on his hand 'Cindy'
• jux to position - from the character within the narrative to Eminem, whos costume is very iconic of himself
• eminem - is outside and it is showing his freedom, and liberty of freedom and escaping from his girlfriend - the camera is tilting and panning throughout this part
• tracks through rooms - making you aware that it is a music video

Conventions..

• at the very beginning - what you are hearing is very sombre and sad, quite slow, there is an image of happy close ups with contrapuntal music
• Edits - between the narrative and artists singing
• the man character - silhouette's Eminem's line, whilst in the shop relating them together
• narrative interlude
• narrative constructed through a montage and flash backs to them previously being happy
• the images are in time with the music

Love The Way You Lie and When September Ends Compared

• They are very similar in that both have temporal leaps
• However, 'Love the Way You Lie' doesn't demonstrate any temporal continuity
• 'When September Ends' video is very chronological
• In 'Love the Way You Lie' the artists aren't performing on stage and they don't seem to be performing live, but just within the characters within the video's mise-en-scene, this is different to 'When September Ends' as Green Day have their own stage and all of their equipment set up
• In 'Love the Way You Lie' the actors and singers words collide in the end

Michael Jackson - Thriller

- 'Thriller' is one of the most influential videos of all time
- At the time it was revolutionary and it still is today

- The conventions which are used within 'Thriller' we have seen in many other music videos, however, it was probably one of the first music videos to also break many of the normal conventions
- The genre of 'Thriller' is supposed to be that of a "Horror Movie"

- First convention shown is the font - it is what you would expect from a horror movie, red and slashed
- Opening scene - within the opening shot the mise-en-scene, it is very realistic
- has diegetic sounds of frogs
- it's very dark and creepy
- tracking shot - camera work is going through the trees, as though someone is watching them
- there is focus on progressing and moving the story on
- You see Michael Jackson's feet which is very iconic of him, with his socks showing and trousers up
- Non diegetic music - it is not the music video's music - it's a code for eery/drama
- You can see Michael Jackson is likely to turn into a werewolf
- Series of close ups to show what is happening
- Mise-en-scene - dark/forest/misty it's night time with moonlight shining through - which is a convention of horror
- Film within a film -this had never been done before in music videos
- This video was where he got one of his many iconic costumes from
- Introductory narrative - is like Green Day's (comparisson)
- The editing is in sync with the mise-en-scene - no one is around and it is deserted
- narrative and the song make sense together, it is well fitted
- You look at the cemetry that he just walked past - very subtle - the characters havent realised
- The song is a vehicle for the video - that's how revolutionary that it was
- Now the people are a part of the narrative as well as being a part of the music video (breaking the conventions)
- Establishing shot - of the house
- 'all a dream'...
- Credits at the end like a film

Madonna - Like A Prayer

- The artist Madonna is in both the song and the narrative
- There is a story within a story
- It has a narrative within it, and it is merging the worlds
- Dream like - making it unrealistic
- In the end you realise that it is a play
- Targetting and emphasising bad things like the KKK and burning of a cross

Conventional Film Editing

• There is continuity
• coherence
• chronological
• music videos don't really adhere to this
• quick cuts
• montage
• temporal leaps
• lack of continuity
• use a series of images to create a sense/impression

White Stripes - Seven Nation Army

- Directed by Michael Gondry

- The artists are performing throughout, there is no narritive - so this video is focussing on the bands musicality
- They are a band that want to be taken seriously
- The colour scheme of red/white/black is very iconic for them - used for things like their album covers - serious and professional colours

Target audience - those who are interested in 'indie' music, young male/female, who see music as a means of expression

Radiohead - Fade Out (Street Spirit)

- There is no narrative
- Series of striking images - which are related to the message and impressions that they are trying to give off
- There is a lack of continuity
- It's all black and white, but why? - links to the lyrics and memories
- There is bad performing in the video world
- Transience of life
- Subtle
- See people - close ups to see their expressions
- Artists performing
- Slow
- Images and edits are all in sync at all times throughout
- There are a series of quick edits, which is making a montage

Rascall Flats - What Hurts The Most

- Narrative
- Open field (like in 'Love the Way You Lie' with Eminem) - at the beginning when the song starts, with the sun behind them and then it flashes to the narrative
- There is a break within the music which links the dialogue
- A lot of close ups
- Also have a band performance on a stage

System of a Down - Toxictiy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJmt3dr9XYQ

Codes..

- Toxicity - the star is not being appreciated, mocking it, drained and at an off set angle
- Costume - black, dark and very anti-authoritive
- Drummer - focusses on him so you know that they are a rock band and you can see his ability
- White background - focusses on them
- Lighting - it is what is used for live performances
- On the sofa - code for them not being interested in the world around them - disaffection

Conventions..

- Features the band throughout
- Settings
- Performance
- Close ups of the instruments and the band
- Breaks 180 degree rule constantly
- In sync with the music
- Low angle shots from the crowd/audience
- Defocuses
- Lighting
- Bisects the body in different ways
- Camera is never static
- Dolly shots
- More typical than other videos I have seen
- Costume - to create an image and identity
- Iconic beards?
- Clever edits
- Their music defines them - they don't need a narrative
- Shot from audience so that you can feel their stage prescence

3OH!3 - Double Vision

- This video is very unique from any other video I have ever seen
- Throughout this video has been filmed as though it is a website
- You are aware of this from the people moving around in white suits and big arrows on sticks that it isn't real, which is making you focus on the music
- It has been made to look like a real website, as there are often adverts popping up like on websites - there is a definite realism within this even though its far from a website
- It's a very postmodern music video
- Within the 'internet' mise-en-scene there is a youtube like clip where it is as though the artists are playing live
- It uses things like the loading symbol on mac computers (the multi coloured circle) keeping with the conventions of computers and internet to keep the realism going throughout
- The video also plays on a viral video of a kanye west song where two girls have the words of the song on their bodies and do it in time - (in this case it was relevant to 3OH!3
- At the end of the video it breaks any realism that there was in the video with a shot of the camera crew and what looks to be the directors to show the process of how it was made almost - this isn't normal to music videos and so in some ways is breaking some of the conventions
Sugababes - About A Girl

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WV148zhtJgk

- establishing shot to begin - so that you know they are in the middle of nowhere, in a desert in a caravan so it's likely to be a shadey deal
- low angle shot of the door - and diegetic sound of squeaky door, and then voice comes on over the door to link you to the narrative
- then narrative begins
- costumes - suggest that they are business men
- man sitting down - obviously not good, has a body guard type person over him all of the time
- overall point that men are better than girls, but are they really?
- as laughing fades out, music coming on
- low angle shot - next to the wheels of the car as its driving
- the singers, look the same as the characters who are representing them in the video
- they are talking whilst the video is going on - see subtitles, they are here to defeat the men
- see behind their heads, through the front windscreen - point of view through the car shot
- the sugababes are they are doing a dance somewhere close, as it has the same kind of mise en scene (they are the artists so they are performing)
- the female characters - out of the car and looking at the caravan and the man steps outside (code for it's going to kick off)
- narrative going on whilst the sugababes are singing and dancing
- lot of close up shots on the females (titalation? with their outfits too quite revealing)
- song words - going with what's going to happen within the video
- switching between artists world and the narrative world
- narrative - when the words say you doing know about a girl - she suprises them and fights (so doing what the words say)
- when they are fighting all cutting from close up shots to wide shots - gives you a better sense of drama and action
- there are more bad characters - (dressed all in black coming from back of the caravan)
- when they are fighting never keeping in the camera in the same place - gives a sense of struggle
- cuts between narrative and music constantly - the music side is very girly, the girls looking pretty and dancing, whereas in the narrative - the girls are being more manly, by beating people up, and braving deals with men
- establishing shot - so that the audience is kept aware of where the characters and musicians are and what is happening
- then you go to a close up of the female characters - and they have tied up all of the males and have taken control of the situation - which is relating to the lyrics
- then the camera is tracking - the females back to the car as they have completed their mission within the shot

Media Terminology

Jump Cuts - When the camera angle remains static but there's an edit/cut in the filming. Music videos use jump cuts for the effects.
- Jump cuts in a music video make you concious that you are supposed to be listening to the music, rather than so much attention on the video.
- Frequently used to 'jar' the audience to catch them by suprise
- They don't use it much in film because it would break the realism

30 degree rule - Can't be more than 30 degrees, because 30 degrees or more is a jump cut.

180 degree rule - The audience have a certain position to orientate the audience, breaking the 180 degree rule will therefore disorientate the audience.

Graphic Match - Where it focuses on something, and then it will take you to the next shot with a similar colour or shape, this is often used in music videos to help create fluidity between links.

Match on Action - You show the same action but with different people doing it, which creates the idea of ongoing action.

Low Angled Shots - These type of shots are used more in music videos than in films, in a music video it often creates the effect that you are a part of the audience.

Intertextuality - This is when one media text will make an explicit reference to another media text.

Parrallel Sound - sound that matches what you are looking at, (happy music/happy film)

Contrapuntal - When the music doesn't match what you are seeing.

Foley sound - Sound track is added after filming, but might be used as though it is diegetic.

Music Videos - Carol Vernallis

Vernallis who is a media theorist has said that, "the editing in a music video works hard to ensure that no single element (the narrative, the setting, the performance, the star, the lyrics, the song) gains the upper hand". This is something that I will have to keep in mind when I come to start my music video.

The music videos which I have analysed have a number of short scenes or edits with consistantly quick cuts; this notion is also explored by Vernallis who states, "edits in music video are far more frequent than in film". Within music videos there is a massive responsibility on editing, the editing has to be able to convey the narrative, so therefore you do not want to over do anything.

Analysis of a Film Still

Mean Girls

In the mise-en-scene from this still image from the film ‘Mean Girls’, you can tell a lot about the characters through the use of media language.

Through the use of colouring you can tell it is a very girly film. In this image there is a lot of pink’s being used, whether it is in their costumes or a tint of pink in the lighting. You can already see that all of these girls are friends, or at least know each other as they are all in within close proximity of each other. However, the girl on the far left is not as tightly integrated into the group as the others. You can see this through her costume, her t-shirt is very oversized for her shape, and she is the only wearing jeans, also her make-up and hair isn’t done to the same extent as the others. The body language of the other girls also makes it more obvious that the one on the far left isn’t as close, this is because they are all kind of huddled together and she is just on the edge, trying to get a look in.

The three girls on the right, look like what you would call your typical girly girls, as well as those who are more popular. There costumes are all very revealing by them wearing tight short skirts and tops. Their hair is all done very neatly and as though they spent a lot of time on it, as well as their make up looking perfect. The girl on the far right has a designer bag, which would be very expensive and so that shows that she has money and most likely full of herself.

Within this image the lighting is helping to tell a story as well. The lighting is giving the atmosphere of it being maybe a happy or comical scene. As it is quite a bright lighting and maybe more natural it is also allowing the girls to look bright, and helping the story line as well.

This kind of mid / close up shot is allowing you to get a lot from the image. The shot is also allowing you to see all of the characters, which allows you to see all of their reactions. This lets the audience to get a sense of how all of the characters are, and what their personalities might be like too.

Year 13 Coursework

• Analyse/research music videos in detail
• You will need to analyse 7 or 8 with a particular focus on the genre you intend to use
• Make consistent reference to the technical terminology throughout
• Ensure that you discuss media language - codes/conventions/denotation/connotation
• Representation - what are you representing and how are you representing it?
• Audience - whos is your target audience? use audience theory..
• Ideology - what are the values and attitudes at work in your text/product?