Blink 182

Once again this pop punk band stands for freedom and liberty, to love do and say anything they like.

Mise en scene - The sign at the very beginning "youth Psychiatric ward" is culturally specific to the English language. Thus, the target audience for  this video is for English reading and listening people - not necessarily speaking because the lyrics are in this language. I like the desks I would try to get desks like that as they are iconically american and the pop punk started in America. Thus, I will start my music video with a long shot of a class in a detention looking at the ticking clock You can tell that the men is blue clothes are carers or doctors because this is the uniforms most people in the medical profession wear. Therefore, if I were to film my music video in a school I would make the teachers wear their identity tags and smart suits so that the audience would understand who they were as around their necks it would say staff and the logo for the school would also be visible. I may even get the students to wear school uniforms scruffy to convey rebellious children who would be the band. However when it cuts to the band singing I would make them wear their own clothes - preferably black tops with jeans as this would be iconic to the genre. If my school/location had sprinklers I think it would be awesome to have them in the music video because it would engage and interest the audience  unfortunately they would  not allow me to set them off or even just one as this would cause too much damage to a classroom.In  this video as only one sprinkler is sprinkling  so isn't as engaging an effective as it could have been. I believe this is because of the cost and impact on the premises hired to do the shoot

Nevertheless, I like that the actors are different to the band members. This means I would need 2 teachers two actors and three band members and they would be able to spread the timeout. As the actors I will be using will be low budget and are doing A-levels this would probably be easier to schedule. Or I could have the lead singer be one of the actors if I can time it around their busy lives. The props of the magnetic letters and stethoscope reinforce that it is a hospital so I will probably use this as inspiration and have a whiteboard and a marker pen instead. Also I will probably use the idea of trashing the filing cabinets and finding their reports. Or even have the computer still logged into the teachers SIMS site allowing the students to sneak a look.

sound/editing- I will probably make my music video post-modern by copying the diegetic sound at the beginning of the video and then start the music recording. the diegetic sounds in this video include fidgeting background movement coloring in the unicorn and chatting in the background. However, my diegetic sounds will probably be ticking of the clock and fidgeting. I have an idea that the teacher holding the detention will pop outside one door to talk to another teacher. The male protagonist will glance at the female protagonist the clock, back at the love interest and then at the other door (of which I know a location) and then the non-diegetic score will start and it will cut to the band singing and playing in the Chikara drama studio (if the English and Drama teachers will let me use these locations). The reason I would like the Chikara is because it is darker and more modern, has lighting available and looks quite like the room in this music video but smaller. Then again if I have actors separate to the band then I would have less lip sinking to do and it will be easier to edit. It was effective when it cut away to the band just before the couple were going to kiss because it created tension and a climax for the end kiss on the roof in the sunset at the end of the song. It would be good if I could get a real couple to be my actors so there is no awkwardness as the low budget students won't have much experience. Plus I want the students to be different ages compared to the teachers so I can create two interpretations of representation one positive stereotype of teens having fun and negative stereotypical of teachers being strict and another negative stereotype if students messing about and a positive of teachers telling naughty youths off. In the Blink 182 promo there  is a slight age difference between the nurses and patience to help suggest authority for the nurse and youth from the patient.

The song isn't really about love it only works well with because the pace fits in time with the rhythm like my song will. I had considered putting the band on the roof at the school although this would provide some good shots of the school but decided that as the filming is taking place between November and January it is probably best not to as the weather can be unpredictable and in reality this would require a risk assessment and may delay filming to get permission to do so.

camera angles - The first shot will be an establishing shot with the sign of the the schools name outside late at night implying that its a long detention as the students have been so bad. This will be like the first shot in the music video above "youth Psychiatric ward". Next,  the detention through a long shot of all the students and then a close up of the male protagonist like above with the patients.

The creativity of the video is really good I like how they are running away from the authority its what the genre of the music stands for. Thus it has really inspired an idea which is shown above. There are especially two videos from this band which that go beyond rebelling so I didn't think it was suitable to show on the blog (band members running around streets with just shoes and socks on.) Even though certain aspects of the male protagonists were edited out with the pixelated blur, I didn't think I could adapt this as my low budget actors wouldn't be up for it. Nevertheless, I like the pace at which this video is edit at. I think I could edit this by using the school as the set because it is easy to access and I could get the students singing "You told Me I'd be Fine Without my Former Life!" and the teachers running after the kids rebelling.

CD cover

Images: The only image is the bands logo which is very well known so just with this their audience will be able to acknowledged who the artist is. This is why the image is bigger than the bands title as some of the customers probably know the logo as a fashion statement more than the music. Additionally, the smiley face with crosses for eyes are symbols for death so gives a kind of sinister tone to the music. Moreover, the splattered paint conveys the free spirit of the pop-punk genre. or the splatters of paint could portray aggression and the relieve of tension through art or in this case music. The circles are quite textured and it is almost as if the ink has dribbled down. This is probably because it was spray painted on, hence giving a sense of rebelling through vandalism. The arrows show some kind of structure possibly proving that the music is almost organised chaos.

colour: There are 2 interpretations of the colours as pink and blue convey femininity and  masculinity possibly trying to approach a broader audience of both genders- maybe they are trying to represent gender. However, the bright colours may also want to interest people that like pop music. The vibrant colours may just be their to challenge conventions and stand out on the shops shelf so that more customers would buy the bands music.  Lastly, it reinforces that the bands music maybe loud because they are quite loud colours - not mellow. The black once again connotes death so I am going to assume that this is a convention that cannot be challenged as the genre requires this colour so that the audience know what genre the music is. This is because audiences usually buy what they are familiar with as they know what they like and what they are used to. For example if the CD cover was pink with flowers and there wasn't  love songs but rock music inside the CD digipak then the customer would be very disappointed as it wasn't what they expected the product to be.

Font: This font is quite rustic and old almost medieval which possibly portrays that the music is quite Gothic and dark. The border around the font is like torn newspaper which emphasises that it is old. However there isn't much text on this CD cover - only the artists title and not the albums name. Nevertheless, my bands name is Conquer of the Decade so this font links very closely with history and would be interesting to use for them.

Language: I looked up why the band chose the name and there was no meaning or reason, this is the same as my artists. I also found that the albums title was actually called "I guess this is growing up" which really relates to the splattered paint on the cover as kids have freedom because they are not restricted by responsibility.

Layout: There is no border except around the artists name is like ripped pages which makes it look edgy and interesting. The Artists title is also aligned to the right and the image or logo is quite central and fills the whole space. When considering the packaging for my digipak it will be important on only to get the words and title spelt correctly but to consider the positioning of images and logos that symbolise the band genre.

Pop Punk conventions

History Of Pop Punk

Green Day CD cover

It all started in the mid 1970s when Pop developed Pop rock The genre was then created in the late 90s when punk rock split further into hybrids as you could consider punk pop to be a hybrid of Rock Pop and Punk music, or Pop Punk is a sub-genre of Punk Rock. It is difficult to decide which as a result of bands like Mcfly are pushing the boundaries of pop punk because the label produces more profit than pop. Frequently, the mainstream music of this hybrid or sub-genre involves a fast rhythm with often chord changes and a loud bass but still keeping the same pace as Punk rock.

Target audience 

Normally the age range for both genders, is between 10 and 25 as it is "feel good Music" which is usually played by three of four band members. Some may say the age range is only between 17 and 25 so I am in two minds, because first it thought it would be good to broaden my audience to maximise my profit range. However, the narrative is probably directed to people leaving somewhere either school at 16 home at 18 or university in their 20s. Hence,  I would say the song I have found is marketed towards both males and females from 16 to 25. Thus, the more niche my media is means it will be more specific to my audience.

Blink 182 - Logo

Unfortunately, Pop Punk isn't as popular as it used to be; before it was mainstream but now it is quite niche. Therefore, most Pop punk bands such as
Blink 182 developed their music from Punk Rock bands such as Bad Religion and Nofx. This was done to make it more popular in the early 21st century but quite recently less people have been interested in it. Thus, it is my job to adapt and modernise the genre, so I will evaluate Blink 182 and Green Day to understand the genre of music video. The mainstream pop punk has changed so much  so I will have to check my theories with a survey but first I will need to research further.

Developing Of Skills From AS-A2

Digital Technology

So far my blog has improved a great deal  as I have included more videos. I think one of the reasons I got  a low grade last year was because I didn't use enough of a variety of media throughout my blogging as I used mostly images and text. However, we haven't really started using digital technology other than this. I hope to create some more voice recording and videos of myself talking about my progress to continue developing my technical skills and making my blog more interesting.

Research and Planning

I feel I have had a good start with my research as I have collected a range of reliable facts both from books and the Internet. I now understand the history of the music industry which is really good because looking back I don't think we had planned who we were producing the two minute opening for; either a big distributing company such as the Warner Brothers and Columbia, or a small independent company (Indies) such as Sundance independent Film production company until the end evaluation. Hence, in my opinion I think my skills are improving. This is probably a result of the fact that I am working on my own so feel I have a responsibility because when I work in a team I let people take over too easily rather than been confrontational and argue my point which could have provided a better result.

I am looking forward to making a survey so that people can give me feedback to help identify target audience and style of music video I should create taking into account their suggestion and opinion into consideration and combining their ideas to produce the product. I intend to make my team work skills develop further as when working with my actors and musicians to produce the end result.

Post- Production - As we have not yet produced our products I only know what I intend to do. I intend to increase the speed of the pace towards the end shortening the shots between cuts, because in my research I found this is what music videos conventionally do. I will do this by using Premier Pro so that I will go over what I learnt last time so that it improves my memory. I know I remember how to upload footage to the to the software but I do not remember how to setup the software because we only did that once at the beginning of the last project. Therefore, I will have to go back to my notes from last year so I can do it with easy. However, I should be able to refresh my memory in the planning when I make my animatic because I will be using Premier Pro for that. I will use sound in the post-production quite easily as I have the music ready; "by the Pop Punk band Conquer the Decade the song Lets Hear it For the Vague Blur".

Conventions from real media text 

In AS some of my signs or connotations were quite far fetched for example I thought there would be an indexical link with the phone ringing and the male protagonist picking it up and talking into the device. Unfortunately, during teacher feedback it was brought up that it wasn't obvious enough that the protagonist was taking a call. Thus, we had to add an antagonist talking quietly back through another phone we did this using the digital technology as the volume of the foley non diegetic sound. I am also thinking of using more narrative than band but the lead singer on is own that way there will be less lip sinking to do. The narrative is going to be about leaving home and going to university not the world of work.

Creativity

My ideas for other briefs have been quite creative considering we only had two ideas last year I have had several for each this year. However, I think if I did some brainstorms for each I would be able to be more inspired and imaginative. When I start story boarding I will be able to portray my creative skills more easily. However, I still think my idea of the story being leaving home is good because Pop punk music is targeted for the age group of 10-25 according to the urban dictionary site. Nevertheless, I think I need to do some more research into pop punk itself.

Music Video Restrictions

Although there aren't any real laws against music videos, recently there has been an up raw about the decency of some of there content. For example, Catch up TV and You tube has enabled children of any age to watch anything even media that is supposed to be broad casted after the watershed. For example, there was a music video for the song by Robin Thicke's called Blurred Lines with topless women featured in it and it was banned from You tube because of how many complaints it obtained. Nevertheless the musics still there just the video was cancelled however it is still available on the internet and when people search for it, it becomes part of their digital identity. Anyway this is the clean video:

However, there is some restrictions on the music itself if it under the copy right law. Radio Stations have to buy licenses to be able to broadcast musicians music. This alliance was created in 1997 to prevent people copying act.
In 1999 an 18 year old boy Shawn Fanning created a Programme called Nasper service which led to a load of copyright battles and rebellious content within the music and their videos especially in the Metallica Genre.

Nevertheless, David Cameron looks like he is going to bring lin legislations to provide an age restrictions on music videos soon because the over sexualisation of children aged 12-17 and the Ofcom report suggest that clothing and dancing and not just the words of the song contribute to increased teenage pregnancy.

CD Covers

What is the Brief really asking?

A promotional pack for the release of an album to include a music promo video together with a cover for its release as part of a digipak - (what is a digipak?) and a magazine advertisement for the digipak.

A digipak is a style CD or DVD cover like a book 

The Cover has to follow the brand of the band Green Day is of the same genre as my music Pop Punk therefore my brand has to follow the same kind of style as this band or bands alike this. I will need to watch there music videos and analysis them to understand what the genres really like and what the bands stand for. I have learnt that bands such as Green Day stand for liberty and freedom.

A summary of this video is that there are many different types of CD covers one is called a digipak This is the most common kind of CD cover and is shown throughout the video. according to the brief this is the type of the album cover I need to design. However, there are other cd covers such as Slim lines, slim double, paper, clamshells, jewels and FL Pack. Nevertheless, a definition of digipaks from my secondary research confirms my theory:

http://www.sunpack.com/blog/2011/02/types-cd-packaging/
Digipak: This type is made of cardboard with a plastic molded tray attached to it. The cardboard case allows for screen printing and the interior sleeve has a place for a booklet to be inserted. Some digipaks have gatefold flaps that fold over to cover the CD from both sides.

Timeline of The music industry:

1980- Compact Disk (CD) invented
1982 - CDs usable on PC
!988- CDs took over Vinyl
1990- recordable CDs available
2000- iTunes was invented
Thus CD's have not sold as well since so soon they will become like Vinyl rare and unheard of. However, Vinyl has a possibility of a comback as they are vintage.  In my opinion I prefer CDs as it easier to illegally download music from web 2.0 and as a possible future artist of music I would be less likely to make a profit from people freely taking my music instead of buying it on a CD in a store or from iTunes. Nevertheless, technology has to move on and even if people illegally download music it is free advertising for the artist. Last year Ed Sheerans music was the most illegally downloaded music therefore more people will want to buy as well to see why so many people need it.

However the fact that most people download music without paying for it has made concerts more expensive as the artists and record labels need to make money.

Detailed Research into Music Videos

The more I think about the more I am intrigued in the idea of doing a music video. Mostly because I am quite passionate about music and I think it will generally be interesting to find out what it involves.

History of Music Videos

Music videos were first invented by George Thomas in the late 19th century but were known as Talkies which is basically as short music film, to promote the sale of a song. Talkies were also known as illustrated songs because they were made with still images e.g.:

The Little lost child was created in1894 and it hows who much technology has developed with time if you compare them to recent videos.

However they are now called Promos in the industry which is an abbreviation of promotional form of media as the videos are essentially advertising the album single or product. Therefore, they have to be simple for the audience to remember them.

Andrew Goodwin said "pop music videos build visual associations with the music" therefore this reinforces that similar genres follow the same patten or conventions as each other. Nevertheless, generally music videos follow the same editing codes as almost all of them cross cut between a performance and the band playing.

In my secondary research I read a book called A2 Media Studies Second edition which explained the music videos are quite postmodern this is because they break the fourth wall where they look at the camera and look the audience to draw them into the story this suspend the idea and brings the music video into reality instead of fiction. Some videos such as the following are even more postmodern as intertextuality from anime is used throughout Jihaku AMV some may call this art instead of media because of the technical skill that went into it as over 100 characters featured in the music video. Also I  am not certain because I do not know the series that well but I have a feeling the lyrics follow the narrative:

Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody single was accompanied by a promotional video which many consider groundbreaking at the time because technology began to develop and in 1975 editing colour and effects were available and led to this iconic  video which had a ballad,  hard rock and operatic sections and guitar solo. At the time it was the most expensive singles made   It received a Grammy award in 2004 almost 30 years after it had been made.

Brief 10

Short films: - are shorter than feature films which are seen in the cinema. Usually they have a small budget or no budget at all as it is very rare for the production company to have big budgets. This is because they obtain grants and sponsors. These funds are normally obtained from the film studios and private investors.

Live action shorts

If I were to make a short film I would want to make it look as authentic as possible and I think that live actions are best type of short films
Documentary shorts

If I were to make a short film I would want to make it as realistic as possible by achieving a good verisimilitude (trueness to life)
Animated shorts

I have a feeling this could be difficult to make as I am not familiar with the software that is used to make Animated shorts unlike documentary shorts and Live Action shorts which I could use premier pro. This will be easier as I used it last year. 

Brief 2

Before I completely finalise which brief I am completing I wanted to make sure it was the best choice for the project. Thus  I will be able to obtain the best grade.
What is an Advert?
An advert is a form of media promotion to enable information to be passed to customers quickly so that they can remember it when needing to buy the product or service it is informing about. It was used in world wars in the form of propaganda to persuade men to join the army. However, it really started in 1920 for tobacco.

What  are the different types of adverts?

Demonstration e.g. Apple iphone 5

Show Need or Problem e.g. -

Comparison. Example:Coke cola

Benefit Causes Story. Example: the Lynx ad.

On Going Characters and Celebrities. Example: Premier inn

Symbol, Analogy, Exaggeration. This time, instead of showing how the product solves a problem, the technique demonstrates a benefit of the product. Example: Mucus cough

Associated User Imagery. This is all about connecting the product to the type of person the advertiser thinks would be using the product. Hoping for identification. Example: Nike.

Unique Personality Property. Example: Dyson Vacuums.

The Music

 The song I will be using is called "Lets hear it for the vague blur" from the album "Conquer the Decade":

Although this already has a CD cover I will create a new one and keep it in line with the branding of the magazine advert and music video.

The lyrics to this are the following as the recording focuses on the bass I found it difficult to hear the words which is done to use the title  "Lets hear it for the vague blur".  Anyway here are the lyrics:

They told me I'll be fine without my former life, without my former life

So I just lied and purely denied, the pleasure was all mine

The pleasure was all mine, pleasure was all mine

I ravished and blinded the eyes in my head

Then woke up and spoke up to make no amends

These are the words that I left and shed (Left and shed)

The words I left and shed; “My core’s for the taking”

They told me I'll be fine without my former life, without my former life

So I just lied and purely denied, the pleasure was all mine

The pleasure was all mine, pleasure was all mine

A shame, that they say your choice of words is to blame

A disgrace, that you see this as some complex game

Loneliness will haunt me

As I lose my will to speak

So long, you're now breathing

I’ll take this all tongue and cheek

They told me I'll be fine without my former life, without my former life

So I just lied and purely denied, the pleasure was all mine

The pleasure was all mine, pleasure was all mine

Don’t say goodbye

Don’t tell me I’ll be fine without my former life

(Don't told me I’ll be fine)

They told me I'll be fine without my former life, without my former life

So I just lied and purely denied, the pleasure was all mine

The pleasure was all mine, pleasure was all mine

Solitary strings play your sound

Forsaken feelings lost and found

Isolated pupils turn to white

Forlorn wicks light the night

It is apparently about leaving home and facing the world of work so I could do a narrative based music video as I won't be able to get the band all in one place as they have split up and gone to university. Nevertheless if the codes and conventions say I have to do a performance based music video I will have to find actors that play instruments.

Why have I chosen Brief 1?

I have chosen brief 1 because I have an idea for a Music video as I have the music and have a passion for it as my Step Brothers Band wrote it. Therefore, I think I can make that one the most creatively by using the codes and conventions and developing them by combing copying and transferring ideas from other music videos. With the help of social media my products will be able to spread internationally quicker e.g. Sharing it on Facebook and Uploading it to YouTube. Furthermore, the easy access the these sights with new media technologies  such as Apples I pad will make people search for them on-line as I feel Music Videos are much more popular than adverts and Short films. However, I will have to do a survey to make sure of this theory.

I don't think I could come up with an inventive idea with brief 10 the adverts as my idea about a yogurt called yo-yo yogurt would have been in the same genre - modern as I thought I would be able to make the slogan "To bring a spring back into your step" and target it at the elderly - over 60's. However, I thought that this brand could be slightly patronizing if taken the wrong way. Also it sounded like all other yogurt adverts a young woman supposedly old talking about the benefits of the product in a kitchen or a field so that all stereotypical women in kitchens can enjoy the supposedly natural yogurt so natural it was supposedly made in that kitchen or field. However, I didn't like the idea that there were restrictions to what could be filmed as i found this out while researching. Also I think that most audiences find adverts annoying especially direct mail which they receive unsolicited either by post or email  however some production companies see the advertisements they make as a work of art

In addition, I didn't use Brief 10 the short film brief because even though I had an idea I thought it may be very difficult to structure it. Nevertheless, I will explain the idea anyway: Basically, it is set in the future and its similar to  the film The Hunger Games maybe even a parody it and call it The Thirsty Games. The low budget would thus mean fewer characters. Therefore the three main characters would start normal days whether this is going to school work or a shopping to represent age or travelling around different areas such as London the countryside (pretending its - Scotland) and a coastal setting (Pretending its Cornwall) to represent regional identity. (Thinking about it the representation age is probably the easiest to produce as the actors age will be a primary part of the product). They each use an electronic device which is spying on them CCTV camera for the oldest actor who went shopping, The mobile phone for the child that went to school and the Laptop for the adult who went to work. However suddenly each person through a POV shot faints (Fade out) they each wake up in a strange garage like place there are three glasses and a note that reads "one glass is not poisoned two are. Unless you want to die of thirst it is suggested that you choose quickly and carefully. There can only be one survivor" Thus, the structure of this short film would start with the reaction shots with a voice over of the characters saying this and end with the same on a cliff hanger to create suspense and tension. To be honest I don't really know how to end it, and I don't like the idea that its short as if I were to really make this film I would like it to go global to receive maximum profit.

Although these are great ideas I know that when I come up with an idea for something I stick to it and don't use or relate it to my research. (This is what happened in AS as we struggled to open up to new ideas that the teachers were giving us which I now realise was  ridiculous considering they are the ones marking our work). Although I only have a vague idea for what I want to do with the music video I will be able to use my research more efficiently. furthermore if I were to really produce this I would be able to increase my profit by making a single and spreading it globally so it goes viral. This is reinforced by the following quote " The Music industry is both more 'open' than film making and less easily 'controllable' than traditional broadcast television" Stafford 2007. Nevertheless, the first thing I would need to do is find out the genre of my music to know what the codes and conventions I will be using in my music video.

Brief 1

This brief includes a music video but the music used has to be non-copyright meaning there must not be any legal contracts attached to the band. Also the brief requires a magazine advertisement and also a CD cover. Therefore, I  had to research different music videos these included the following::-

What is a Music Video? - A music Video is recorded performance of a piece of music normally with dancing and visual images representing meaning of the possible lyrics or tone and mood of the music.The Music Video is also a form of promotion also known as promos as they promote the track whereas the digipack and the album advert promote the album.

A narrative based video (where the song tells the story of the action in the video) however the example below demonstrates signs of a performance based video as Beyonce breaks the fourth wall  e.g.

A performance based video (which is pretty much what it says it is footage of the band or artist performing at a concert)  e.g:

This is not that interesting for viewers because it is quite repetitive as there isn't any editing for example cross cutting like there is in the narrative based videos.
A concept based video (most of the footage does not match the narrative or there is a theory or metaphor attached to the video.)

This shows that different genres of music use different types of music videos for example Monkey Drummer is Electronic metal so the producers have used the concept based music video to emphasise the electronic idea of it. Moreover, Jon McLaughlin's video is performance based to show off the music; piano which is mostly what music of this genre tries to achieve. Lastly, Beyonces Genre is R&B and pop which is also shown through most narrative based music videos.

The briefs

These are the briefs for the coursework in A2 there are three of them which I need to explore research and choose which one I would like to complete. The second brief has changed as you may have notice I crossed it out because it is no longer a trailer, magazine front cover and poster but 2 TV adverts, one  sponsorship advert, the other a normal tv advert and a radio advert.