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This is an informed and analytical blog girls which shows real interest in the task and careful consideration of all aspects of planning for production - exemplary work well done.

Group - What is a digipak?

• Digipaks typically consist of a book-style outer binding, with one or more plastic trays capable of holding a CD or DVD attached to the inside.
• Digipak-style packaging is often used for CD singles or special editions of CD albums.
• Digipaks are more like to show signs of wear quicker than jewel cases because they are less resisitant to abrasion.
• Manufacturers have tried to reduce environmental impact by including recycled components into its trays. Many printers use recycled or sustainable material for the board stock.

Digipak conventions

• Presence or absence of band.
• Artwork
• Reading Line
• Rule of thirds
• Photography
• Text
• Composition, lighting, framing
• Use of white space

ERT- Technical analysis Dog Days Florence and the Machine

From this I found different shots that I hadn't thought about using before. I really liked the XCU of her feet as she steps through the woodland, which is a shot i would like to recreate in our video. It also gave me a better feel for how florence should act, as she has a very unique way of moving.

Group - Reccie (27/09/10)

After the lesson today we went up to Southborough graveyard and the woods to do a reccie. Whilst doing our reccie we found lots of interesting places where we can film and this has helped us develop our concept more.


One idea we have is to have Florence walk down a path between the graves from the dark into the light. Along the path we will put black and white balloons and photographs in order to make it more visually interesting. To link the graveyard with our other location of the drama studio, we thought that we could use the photographs. One idea we had was to zoom into one of the photos on the ground in the graveyard and then zooming out of the photo when it is in the drama studio. The only thing to add is that initially we thought about having the artist barefoot but since being to our location and seeing the ground we have decided that this is not appropriate because of the nature of the ground and the amount of stinging nettles. It just wouldn't be safe. However we can still have her barefoot inside the drama studio.

The photo above is where we want her to begin, she will walk forward and end up by the grave and tree in the back of the photo below. Moving from dark to light. In order to film this tracking shot smoothly we will need to find something with wheels that we can put the tripod in, we are thinking possible a pram.

In regards to the location of the woods, we thought we could use candles to light up the area and have Florence holding a lantern in order to fit in with the Gothic atmosphere that we are trying to achieve.

I think with regards to the woods I prefer the first ones on the way to the graveyard [picture above] to the ones next to it [pictured below] as I think visually it is more interesting, and it seems more claustrophobic and wood-like if that makes sense, the second woods just seem too open for Florence.

I love this bench and tree just outside the graveyard [below]. I thought I would include the picture here however I am not sure whether we will use it as it may not fit into our concept. A problem with filming there would be the traffic in the background, but visually ignoring that, it would look good at dusk with candles/lanterns and our actress sat on the bench or possible on the floor by the tree.

LS - Technical Analysis of 'Promise This'

Below is my technical analysis of Cheryl Cole's video for 'Promise This'

The use of the long red dress is something that we could use in our own music video. The long dress is feminine and is reminiscent of something that Florence would wear. I also like the use of falling confetti, which is something we could use in the scene in the graveyard.

LS - Planned Reccie

Today we are visiting Southborough's graveyard and woods to do a reccie of the location we are considering for our music video. We are going to do photos of the locations as the lighting due to cloud cover is bad and we will visit at a future date when the lighting is better to do some filming in order to see whether it creates the atmosphere we want in our video.

KG - Technical Analysis: 'The Fear'

Technical Analysis of Lily Allen's 'The Fear'. 2:37-3:06.



I chose this one because of the decoration in the background, the use of balloons, coloured smoke and an outdoor location. However, I don't think we want dancers or people dressed up as balloons, but it was certainly helpful to look at. Especially as in this particular section there are no close ups which is quite unconventional.

KG - Props Ideas

The one main idea I have is that I want her to walk through a path filled with black and white balloons, through the middle of a graveyard, preferably with some leaves on the ground too. And I want there to be lanterns, and lots of candles. And so for that I have photos to show my lanterns and some white candles I have in jars that I think we could use.

Also, I have this clock:

I think it is aesthetically pleasing, and will look good in the video, time represents life and death I suppose and so it could link in, depending on our narrative. She could hold it or else it could just be part of our background decoration, we could always film it going backwards/forwards.

Also costumes, I think it should be mainly black and white with a little colour, as opposed to her other videos where there is a lot of colour and little monochrome. I think because of the nature of this video we should do something different to what she has already done and go for a more sort of gothic feel.

Group- To do list

Location- We need to visit the graveyard in Southborough, the field in Southborough and the drama studio at our school Tunbridge Wells Girls' Grammar School. We have planned to visit all three on Monday 27th September.

Characters- Although we have decided our main character, Rosie Elliott who will be playing Florence, we still have the decision as to whether we want any extras to take part in the video. The other challenge with this is whether we can find the right sort of people and enough of them to fit in with the theme of the video that are willing to take part.

Props- We already know that we would like to include props such as bunting, balloons, photographs, streamers and lanterns etc in our video. Now we need to start gathering the props together either by buying, borrowing or making them.

Costumes and Make-up- From researching Florence we can see that her videos include flamboyant make-up and clothing. We know that we want to follow this trend so we need to start asking around as well as looking in places such as charity shops for these items. Also we are going to start collecting magazine clippings of make-up trends we may copy.

Group - Evaluation of our Brighton Reccie

This week, we went to Brighton to do a practice reccie.

Some of the shots we tried out included:

• MLS that could be used as a planning or establishing shot
• Tracking shot
• Stop Motion
• High angle shot
• Low angle shot
• Close up
• Footage to manipulate in editing

We did most of our filming in outside locations as Florence + the machine's videos are mainly set outside and this is a characteristic of her videos that we are also going to use. Through experimenting with the various different shots we have determined some shots that would work in our video and others that wouldn't.

One skill we have improved on by doing this reccie is experimenting with angles. On our previous reccie for our AS project, we only took photos of locations which did not enable us to test how the location would look in different angles. On our Brighton reccie, through we were be able to experiment with shots and to see which shot gave the best effect in the location we were in. On our next reccie for our music video, we will use this skill that we have improved so that we can make the locations appear more interesting than they would in a photo.

Another thing we have learnt by doing a practice reccie in Brighton is time management. We organised our time much better doing this reccie than we have done previously and as a result managed to film more shots. One thing we didn't account for is the amount of time that a stop motion takes. This is something we need to consider if we choose to include stop motion as this will take a lot more time than normal filming.

After group discussions we have decided not to use Brighton as a location for our music video because it doesn't fit in with our initial ideas.

LS - Video for 'Mine'

Below is the video I was telling you about on the way to Brighton. I really like the use of the photos hanging down from the trees and thought this could be something we could maybe use, as like Taylor Swift, we want to use the location of the woods.

ERT- Deconstruction of Paolma Faith "Upside down"

INSTITUTION AND AUDIENCE

How might this video be consumed?

I think this video will be mainly be viewed ambiently as the video does not particularly have a storyline, and it is the type of music to be played in situations such as clubs or casually on the music channels. However, the video is visually interesting to watch and fans of Paloma Faith may chose to watch the video as it is very much about her. Also the video includes a lot of dance and is a jazz sort of style therefore people interested in that music and dance style may see the video for focused viewing.

Institutional context of the video

The record label would have an important role in the creation of this video. They would have decided the storyline and way in which the artist, Paloma Faith, was presented. In this video they have made her seem like a glamorous celebrity, although she is presented in this way you ca see from the way they have used the set in the video that behind all the make-up and fancy backdrops shes just an ordinary girl. Throughout the video there is no illusion to the fact that although the back drop makes it look glamorous it is only set up an old factory type building. This I think is a clever and positive impression given off to the potential audience, because it shows how Paloma is a normal girl behind it all and that she is lucky enough to be living the celebrity lifestyle, but she is still the same everyday girl behind it all.

GENRE AND NARRATIVE

What are the forms and conventions evident in this video?

This video is more performance based, however it is not set in a recording studio or theatre it is set quite clearly in a big ordinary factory styled room for filming. Although there are male dancers in the video I see her as the only character in it as she is in every shot and it is very much all about her, through the use of meat shots and XCU. This making it clear to the viewer it is the arist performing lyrics that she wrote herself about something she believes in, not a typical love story with a boy and girl for example. The video also has a really fast cutting rate in certain parts. For example towards the end of the song the beat quickens, and the cutting rate follows this.



Is this an example of illustration, amplification or disjuncture?

I think its an example of amplification. When studying the lyrics of this song it is all about being busy and confused which i think is displayed in the video through the use of colour, costume and movement/dance. Also certain lines are displayed through movement word for word, such as 2 minutes 10 seconds into the video the lyrics "You gotta pick it up" and the males dancers pick her up, although the majority of the video is filled with random dance moves and cuts which are cleverly done through shape and colour. However, the reason i think it is not an example of illustration is because i think if it was it wouldnt have been filmed in a studio but it would have shots in busy streets with crowds etc.

Could this be considerd art?

I think yes as some of the cuts used are very clever. For example at 2 minutes 20 seconds there is an image of pink and white verticle stripes with the oppostie colour dots in the middle. This shot cuts to Paloma Faith and the 4 male dancers holding umbrellas with resemble the dots whilst standing on the same stripes. I really like these cuts and hope to iclude something similar in our own video. Also the whole video is so memorable through the use of colour. Some of the stills look very similar to a picture that would be sold or shown as art.



MEDIA LANGUAGE

What is the message or purpose of this video? What visual technniques show this?

I think the hidden message behind this video is all about Paloma Faith. I don't think there is anything politcal or emotional tied into it but more so personal to her.As stated in the pervious question, the mise-en-scene of the pink and white set with the unglamorous factory style room it is shot in still on show is a conotation for herself. A glamorous celebrity on first glance, but still has her roots in the background.

REPRESENTATION

How is the artist represented?

The artist is represnted as a strong female that is very glamarous. Her being the only female in the video as well as many of the shots being of only her, displays her as a very strong and determined artist. As well as again showing how uderneath all the glamour she still has her roots.
How are different social groups represented?

The only social groups represnted in the music video are young white females and black males. As the video doesn't have a narrative it is hard to say how they are represented, neither had a good or bad character to play. Therefore, I think it is positive to have not represented any social groups in a bad light thus making no enemies with any viewers.

What is the ideological discourse?

An ideology that is challenged in the video would be that females are the recessive gender and are in need of males to take the control. It is done through the amount of power shown through Paloma Faith in the video as well as the way she is somehow controlling the male dancers around her. The video is ultimately all about her, the dancers in the videos purpose is to make her look good. This clearly challenging the common gender stereotype.

Dyers theory

Dyers theory presents the idea that a "star" is constructed through a range of materials, for example the music video, advertisments and digipak. Refering to "Upside Down" by Paloma Faith the use of close ups creates an intimate realtionship with the audience member through the use of extra-diegetic gaze making her seem approachable, the mise-en-scene in the video shows a classy smart studio at first gaze but later reveals it is a screen put up in a large empty normal looking type factory, this gives her the star image at first but reveals that she is still an everyday person behind it all. However, her costume and make-up still gives off the celebrity star image created through her other posters, album covers and other videos. This therefore applies to the first paradox of "the star must be simultaneously ordinary and extra ordinary for the consumer". She is ordinary in the sense that she uses extra-digetic gaze to make herself relatable to the audience and shows how although it seems as if she is filming in a big expensive studio it actually is not as glamorous as first though. However, extra ordinary in the sense of her costume and make-up, she comes across as very glamorous.

KG - Videos to Look At

I thought I would put up some videos that I find interesting that I think we could maybe draw inspiration from.



I like this one for the general style and aesthetic, somethink that we can use in our video but I wouldn't want us to copy it. It would have to be original.




With this video it is the general quirky style and the shooting infront of a colour changing background, but mainly the things I like are at about 1:27 with the feathers and the fan. And at 1:48 with the changing backgrounds but him remaining in the same place, something that is simple and effective that we could recreate ourselves.



I'm not sure if this counts as a music video but I think it is brilliantly made anyway. It reminds me a lot of PES. I don't think we will be able to recreate anything on this scale that looks as clean or as effective, but we can definitely look at it in terms of stop motion.



I love the style of this video, the use of colour, lighting and background. Although it may not be suitable for our video we can definitely be inspired by it. I like the double costume [split down the middle], we could maybe try and create something like that, as Florence's costumes need to be different and innovative.

KG - Photographs of Actress

We are having somebody play Florence in our video to act as her and to lip sync to the song.

This is our actress:

She has already played Florence before in the school's Stars in their Eyes charity event. So she knows what she is doing and is effective in doing so.

To turn her into Florence we have a red wig, and in our video she will be in appropriate costume and makeup depending on our theme and concept.

KG - Deconstructing a Music Video

Deconstruction of The Horrors - Whole New Way



Although there is no female vocalist in this band, they are a similar style in that they are considered alternative and less mainstream. I wanted to deconstruct this video because I think there are definitely elements from it that we can use.

Institution and Audience

How might this video be consumed?

This video would be consumed through focused viewing in that they are a specialised band with a niche audience, or rather are not in any charts and so do not get a lot of air time on both the television and radio, with the only exception really being the NME music channel. So people would generally be watching this video specifically to see the new video for the band and to keep themselves updated.

However, having said that, it is like any other music video in that it can be consumed through ambient viewing if it is put on in the background just for musical purposes as opposed to visuals.

Institutional context of the video.

The record company for this album was XL Recordings, who are a London based record label that started in 1989, dealing specifically in fresh talent and who claim to be 100% independent and free from the corporate record label culture. Meaning that they will want to maintain the band's own image and try to keep them looking unique and creative, which they successfully do through their music videos.

This particular video was directed by Dave Ma, using the production company Pulse Films, a company who thought there needed to be more freedom in creativity in the world. And who say on their website about music videos:
"Always insisting on a bespoke and high production value approach in all the music video work we undertake, we are extremely proud of our award winning and consistently high output both in the UK and the US."

Although the purpose of the music video is to promote the band and to sell their records, the record label also seems to want to preserve the creativity and individuality of the band shown through their choice of production company and director, as Dave Ma has directed many music videos some very well known, and is making a name for himself as one of the best new directors "bucking the trend for the bland" [The Quietus]. Which suggests that they are thinking more about the creativity involved in a music video than just using it as an advertisement, but it is still evident that they are following conventions and are still highly concerned with the band image.

Genre and Narrative

What are the forms and conventions evident in this video?

Using Goodwin's theory there are some forms and conventions evident in this video but there are also many unconventional aspects. The genre characteristics fit with the alternative style, in the video's general style, use of costumes, band image etc. most prominently shown in the goggles all the band members are wearing.

There is a relationship with the lyrics and visuals in that they are singing about "a whole new way" which is represented in the video by the light imagery. The video starts of at night, and as the song reaches its climax and the revelation of a whole new way and a whole new vision is revealed the sun comes up giving the landscape a whole new visual style and effect. This is a more conceptual interpretation of the song but can be considered conventional as it represent a link between the lyrics and visuals no matter how disjunctive it may be.

There is a link between the music and visuals in that the light filter over the top of the image is in time to the beat of the music for the most part. There are points when they are not connected, as many of the visuals and cuts themselves are not, but there are certainly a few points where the cutting rate, movement of the camera and the light filters are in time to the background music.

This film is highly conventional of a music video in that there are several close ups of the lead singer, with the majority of them focusing on his mouth, with him constantly lip syncing along in these shots. There are also several close up shots of the rest of the band members, showing it is about the whole band and not just the singer. There are apparent star image motifs in that the band are still the same as they have always been, typically dressed in black with skinny jeans and generally having a sort of alternative appearance, their image is something that they are well known for and so their music video should adhere to that and present it accordingly.

This video is unconventional in terms of Goodwin in that there is no notion of looking; no mirrors, reflections, there are no women either that may be voyeuristically looked at, even though the song mentions a girl several times. Adding to the idea that this video is very conceptual based as it doesn't need to show literally what is said in the lyrics.

There are possible some intertextual references or at least inspiration, but I cannot think of anything at the moment, and have not been able to find anything as of yet on the Internet. This video however is very similar to their previous ones for this album in the use of colour and light filters, but is unconventional in that they are in an outside location where normally they use interior locations and that it is a sunny, open location where usually they are in claustrophobic, dark locations, perhaps typical of their band image.

This video is conceptual based I think for the reason I have mentioned above, but there is also a performance element in it, in that the lead singer is lip syncing along. It is unconventional though in that the rest of the band members are shown in the video alongside the singer but none of them have their instruments and so are unable to perform.

Is this an example of illustration, amplification or disjuncture?

I think this is an example of amplification, because as I have mentioned above, there are some links with the lyrics but not over literal links. This is more of a conceptual video, that could be considered arty. The light imagery is one of the clear links in that it is adding a new way of seeing things both in terms of the songs lyrics and for the viewer of the video, it is considered by some to be a very powerful image. The reason is cannot be illustrative is because simply there is no female actress in it, in order for this to demonstrate a literal meaning of the lyrics a female would need to be evident and there clearly isn't one. This could be considered disjuncture as it does seem to have no connection at all with the lyrics but it is open for interpretation, some would suggest it is a video ignoring the lyrics, and others like myself, would suggest that it has a link even if it is only very slight.

Could this video be considered art?

I think this could be considered art in that it is a very unconventional video in its subject matter, even though it is conventional in production. VideoMaker Magazine says that; "the invigorating art form of making a music video has grown to be one of the most influential and individually stylistic modes of production in the industry. From the first frame to the last, music videos serve as a blank canvas to your mind's eye, a place to show the world what you can really do when let loose with a camera." Suggesting that music videos in themselves are considered art in that they are able to do whatever they want, and this video demonstrates that. There is no clear narrative, the light filters over the top disrupt the visuals and can make the audience uneasy, even the choice of costume can be considered artistic in that their goggles to others may seem a little odd, but to the band may be a fashion statement, such as is becoming the norm with artists such as Lady Gaga. I think that this can be considered art in that it is a creative and absorbing piece of video that serves as entertainment but also perhaps as inspiration.

This video can be considered postmodern because of the choice of costumes. Also in its production, the use of layering visuals and filters on top of one and other, although this is conventionally the layering of ideas it can be seen as having the same effect by layering the actual images. Perhaps mainly because of the asynchronous narrative and the rebellious nature of the video in that it has no narrative and therefore is breaking away from the conventional Grand Narrative.

Media Language

What is the 'message' or purpose of this video?

The purpose of this video is primarily to advertise the band and sell the single. But the video can be considered to have a meaning. One way of interpreting this video is that it is suggesting optimism and hope, that the idea of a whole new way and the prospect of the sun coming up inspiring and helps raise spirits. But then again it can be interpreted that there is no meaning and it is just a band walking around a field before sunrise, but that is a perhaps pessimistic ignorant view of video. This video will have different meanings for different people as everyone interprets things differently, but ultimately I think if anything it is showing the band rising, perhaps symbolising their growing popularity as this video was made after they won the 2009 Mercury Prize. And the idea of optimism and moving forward.

What visual techniques are used to do this and why?

The light filters over the visuals help to build up to the climax of the video, as does the visuals starting off in the dark and getting lighter, fitting with the ideas mentioned above. The quality of the video is set to a grainy feel, giving it an old feel without making it look bad quality. There must be a filter on the video but only a very subtle one, this makes it seem more authentic and makes the band seem more genuine and interesting. Keeping with their band image of them being an indie alternative band that are apart from the mainstream.

Is there any intertextuality/references to popular culture?This is a very cliche shot that has been used in countless films, music videos and photographs.

Other than the use of lighting and silhouettes I cannot think of any other intertextual references.

Representation

How are the band/artist represented?

The band are presented as very individualistic by the choice of their costumes, particularly again with the goggles.The band are also presented as being quite alternative, and apart from the mainstream by the use of a desolate location in which they are the only people. And by a music video style that is different from other things being produced at the moment, it is not high budget and polished but is not lo-fi home made feel either, it is happily in between, suggesting the band are differentiating themselves from others, emphasised by their costumes and perhaps even in their music.

This helps sell their products because it is ultimately advertising them and their image. If people think they look good they may be more inclined to purchase their music, they may buy their music simply because they like it but the band's meta-narrative certainly helps. And that narrative is of a creative group of individuals from London all sharing in the love of obscure music, something that is perhaps expressed through this video.

How are different social groups represented?

There aren't really any social groups being represented in this video other than the band themselves, and they represent the sort of genre and style of their music, the creative individualistic arty style that is representative of them but of not many other people. Because there are no other actors, genders, age groups in this video there isn't much to say.

It can be suggested that this video is playing with the conventions of gender as the band members are considered to be fairly androgynous by some people, because of their thin legs, choice of clothing, use of makeup and their hairstyles. But I'm not sure if it is fair to comment on how this video represents it as such when that is just the band image, the video only serves to promote that image and sell it rather than raising questions about it.

What is the ideological discourse?

This links to the above point in that if there is any discourse at all it is to do with gender as nothing else is really expressed in the video. All that can really be said is that do these five men represent real men? Do they challenge or reinforce the dominant view of men? I think that they challenge the dominant view and in the video [and with everything else they do] are confident in their own image regardless of what other people may think. Which can be considered as a very postmodern outlook to have. I think the artist is challenging this view purely because they are individuals and so want to be seen and treated as such rather than just be classed with everyone else.

How could you relate this to Dyer's theory?

The idea that the star is an image is very relevant here as this particular band are well known for their extreme image, the tight black jeans, pointy shoes and their distinctive hair cuts. This is evident by the tracking shot of their legs towards the end of the video, and in their costumes.

There are a large number of close ups to help construct the star image, and although fitting with the conventions of music videos also fit Dyer's theory in that they present the star as an image and a commodity. Meaning that the consumer is repeatedly able to view the star in detail and the star in turn through the extra-diagetic gaze makes a connection with the audience.

LS - Deconstruction of a music video

Deconstruction of Taylor Swift's music video for 'Mine'



Institution and audience

How might this video be consumed?
This video would be consumed through focused viewing because the video is visually interesting by the shots between the narrative and the performance. Also as the music video has a storyline that the audience need to follow in order to understand the video, ambient viewing could lead to confusion. Ambient viewing however, may take place if the video comes on a music channel in a bar or another public area. The genre of this music video means it would be shown music channels such as ‘Smash Hits’ or ‘The Box’ and because of the international fame Taylor Swift has, it would also possibly be shown on MTV.

Institutional context of this video
The record label would have played an important role in creating this video. They would have had a big say in the type of storyline involved and how to artist should be represented. This is because they want to maximise the amount of selling potential the artist can achieve in order to make the largest profit and raise the awareness of the artist's talent in music. The record label would not want the artist to be seen as concentrating on one type of audience member so insured that a range of ages and both genders were included in the video so that no one felt that they couldn't relate to the artist and as a result would not be inspired to go buy the artist's products.


Genre and Narrative

What are the forms and conventions evident in the video?
Using Goodwin's theory there are many forms and conventions evident in the music video. The video is both performance based and narrative based. One characteristic that is evident of the genre this music video fits it into is the use of performance. This is cut with a concept of a love story which illustrates the lyrics of the song. The cuts between the performance and the story are illustrative as well as the cutting rate speeds up when the music speeds up and slows down when the music slows. Meat shots are used when there are cuts to Taylor Swift performing and this is a characteristic of the genre as the voice is seen as the most important part of music in this genre. Close ups of Taylor Swift are also used when it cuts to the love story as it shows the emotion of the song and the character. When Taylor Swift is performing in the woods, there are photos hanging down around her, which are of her and the male character and this creates the notion of looking. An intertexual reference in this video is the fairytale concept of ‘A happily ever after’.

Is this an example of illustration, amplification or disjuncture?
This video is an example of illustration both through the relationship between the lyrics and visuals and between the music and visuals. The lyrics are illustrated by the cuts to the love story emerging between the female singer and the male character. The music is illustrated by the visuals as the cutting rate speeds up when the tempo speeds up and slows down when the tempo slows down.

Could this video be considered art?
This video does not present any challenging ideas or involve postmodern techniques. The video could, however be considered a short movie as there is concept involved within the illustration of the lyrics and this concept is a lot like most films in the chick flick genre as there is a love story involved, with a disagreement and a happy ending. However, most of all the video is an advert, advertising the artist's songs and musical ability.


Media Language

What is the ‘message’ or purpose of the video?
The video does not include any social messages. The main purpose of the music video is to attract the attention of the music video by making them have to concentrate on the video in order to understand the storyline. Adorno would argue that this makes the music video act as an advertisement for Taylor Swift and generates the desire, if the audience like the song, to purchase the single or album that the song features one and this creates false needs as it is not necessarily something the audience need to purchase. I also believe that the video also acts as an advertisement for the artist as it raises the awareness of the artist’s current song. By using a range of different aged characters and different genders in the video, the artist is showing that the music they are creating is for everyone and not a specific age or gender.

What visual techniques are used to do this and why?
The use of the cutting rate and cutting to different parts in the storyline draws the audience in as they want to watch the video to see what happens next in the story and to see how it ends. This acts as an advert, as if the audience are drawn into the video they may decide to buy other songs by Taylor Swift in order to see if there are any other songs which link to this story. The use of different camera angles also makes the music video more visually interesting and the use of different lighting: brighter when she is performing and darker when the story is running helps to distinguish between the two parts and creates the fact that the love story is a memory. Also as there is so much going on in the video, in regards to the performance and the storyline, the audience may choose to watch the video again in order to see things that they have missed.

Is there any intertextuality/references to popular culture?
The love story feature involved in the music video is a lot like most films in the chick flick genre such as 'The Prince and Me' and 'Happily ever after' as there is a love story involved, with a disagreement and a happy ending.


Representation

How are the band/artist represented?
The artists is represented as very feminine due to her costumes. Most of the costumes she wears are dresses or skirts which connote femininity. Also by having her perform in a woods with flowers, femininity is also connoted as flowers are thought to be for females. The artist is also represented as making music for all age groups as the range of different ages and the use of both male and female characters connotes that all types of people can relate to her music, even though she is a young, female artist.

How are different social groups represented through the video?
The social group of children is represented as vulnerable and as distant from the adult world. This is shown by detaching the young girl from the argument her parents are having by having her in the foreground of the shot. Also the close ups of the girl show her vulnerability as the audience can see her worried facial expressions.

What is the ideological discourse?
One ideological discourse that is being represented is men being the dominant gender. In most clips when the male character and Taylor Swift are together, the male character has his arm round her, connoting being protective and having control over her. Also when both couples (her 'parents' and Taylor Swift and the male character) are fighting, the male always aggressive out of the two genders. The artist may have reinforced this ideological discourse because she believes that this is reinforces her femininity by making her seem weaker and more vulnerable. The feminists Goffman, Jhally and Kilbourne would argue that by reinforcing men being the dominant gender, the video is also reinforcing sexism.

Dyer's Theory
Dyer's first key paradox is that the artist is both seen as ordinary and extraordinary and I believe that Taylor Swift's video displays evidence of this paradox. With the storyline, Taylor Swift is seen as experiencing events in her life. that most ordinary people experience, including getting married, fighting with loved ones and having children. The use of an ordinary costume of jeans and t-shirts also reinforces this part of the paradox. In comparison, Taylor Swift is also represented as being extraordinary as when she is performing, she is dressed in white and the lighting creates a type of golden glow around her. This makes the artists appear as if she's some kind of angel and therefore reinforces her being represented as extraordinary.

Dyer's second paradox is that the artist is both present and absent. I don't think that the artist in this video reinforces this paradox as she is present in all parts of the music video, both for the storyline and the performance. This could be because the record label want her to be present all the time because people may be more likely to watch the video and buy the music if they can relate to the artist and this may not be possible if the artist if not continuously present.

KG - Points of Inspiration

I have a little notebook that my ideas for everything are put into, and so there have been things that I have put in here that may lead to inspire our music video.
Over the summer I was putting together anything that I could think of or had seen that inspired me or might inspire the creative process of our video.
Below are the pages from my notebook with the points of inspiration. This was before we had decided to do Florence, so some may not be so significant now as they are not suitable for our artist/genre, but I thought I would just include it all anyway.

KG - Technical Analysis: 'I am not a Robot'

Technical analysis of the first minute of Marina and the Diamonds video for 'I am not a robot'.



I chose this artist as she is a strong female artist in a similar genre to our chosen artist. She is often very over the top with her make up and background mise-en-scene and so I thought we could perhaps get some ideas from that. I think I particularly like the use of glitter, but I am not sure how practical this would be for us to do.

KG - Responding to a Track

Chosen track: 'My boy builds coffins' - Florence and the Machine

What is the genre of the track? How can you tell?
There are many different opinions as to what genre this is, some say alternative, some say blues, some say experimental. I think I would class this as a combination of indie/alternative because it has the raw acoustic feel that is common in indie music, but also has the beat and style of a slight alternative feel. I think it is mainly indie/alternative because of Florence's voice, it is so distinctive that it is set apart from other artists and so is more fitting to be classed as an indie/alternative hybrid.

Do you think this track represents a high or lo fi video? Why?
Florence has made both high and lo fi videos, with her earlier ones being lo-fi. Personally I prefer the old videos that are shot on a low budget and are made with friends as extras and just filmed in the woods. I think they represent more of the artist than her later videos that have a high budget and are shot in blank studios with special effects. I think however, I would like a combination, I want it to be shot outside but unless we have a powerful enough concept it won't be enough, and this song has a dark undertone that I think will be enhanced by shooting in the school's drama studio and having the singer silhouetted against a blank background. I've noticed that with her later videos the lighting is a key thing and I think we should fully take advantage of the facilities at school to create a similar effect. Plus I think a combination of the two will be more fitting to our chosen song because of the power chords and beat of the song, that give it both a high and lo fi feel.


What videos would be comparable?


Florence and the Machine - Dog Days Are Over [2009]
I love the style of this video and want ours to be similar but not the same, I think from this we can take the idea of decorated our location with things like bunting and bird cages as opposed to just leaving it how it is.



Lady Gaga
I have chosen this still from 'Just Dance', but any are applicable. It is really to demonstrate the use of costume and makeup, something that it becoming increasingly popular in female artist's videos, the need for outrageous costumes. And the perfect example for that is Lady Gaga, although I doubt we create costumes such as she wears, but we can certainly be inspired by them, as Florence is seen in her videos to wear some pretty odd things.

The Horrors - Sea Within A Sea
What I think we can get from this track is the use of lighting and colour, and the use of a screen in the background. This is similar to what I had in mind for our part of the video to be filmed in the drama studio.





Find out the budget for one of the above examples.
I haven't been able to find out any exact budgets for the videos, but I do know that Florence's was very low budget as it was filmed by a friend with friends as all the extras just in a local woods, but the exact cost I don't know.
The Horrors video again was fairly low budget but a higher budget than some of their earlier videos. But again I do not know the exact number.
And Lady Gaga, I know that her music videos are becoming increasingly expensive, starting with 'Just Dance', as in interviews she has said it was her first video that was not shot on a low budget, but the true budget is not revealed. In an article in The Telegraph there is talk about her video with Beyonce for 'Telephone' and although it doesn't give an exact figure it does say that due to the economic downturn the average music video budget has fallen to under £10,000.
Obviously our music video will be nowhere near that budget, but we can still get the feel of Florence and these other artists with a fairly low, or non-existent, budget.

Give an outline of a treatment.
I see this video started with an empty field, or with the camera looking up at the sky, and then moving down to reveal Florence possibly with her back to the camera. As the music begins after about 12 seconds, I see her beginning to dance as she does in her other videos. Possibly with balloons floating off into the sky around her, I think black and white ones would look good.
When she starts singing I see her beginning in the drama studio, with a CU and a very strong light source, either behind her so she is silhouetted or so she has a golden outline, or just a spotlight.
If we wanted to have a boy in it, we could maybe film his part already and have it playing in the background when she is in the drama studio as we have the use of the projector. That way we won't need to rely on both actors to be available at once, and we can film during free periods, and it would mean we had a narrative, the relationship between the two, but also the performance based element as Florence will still lip syncing.
Then I see it intertwining between the lighted performance in the empty drama studio or on the school stage at points, but there should never be an audience it will ruin the effect. And between her being alone in a field dancing. I'm not sure about an ending yet.


Identify suitable locations for filming particular sequences of the music.
Well we have already said about the school's drama studio, of which we will take photos of as soon as possible. There is also the option to use the stage in the main hall as well.
Then we want some woods or a field, I think maybe a field with a few trees. It needs to look empty, so possibly the field behind St. John's Park or somewhere similar. Maybe a playing field, but I don't think that will look very aesthetically pleasing.
I know of a park not too far from the school where I have spent many a day in summer and where I have filmed my own version of a Florence video before that might be suitable to use, but it depends on the look of the video, because there are quite a few trees in there, useful for hanging bunting on though, but possibly too many that it might look 'crowded' in the video.

Consider grain of voice. What characters would you use?

The actress we have in mind to play Florence, has performed as her previously in the 'Stars in their Eyes' charity event and so knows the song, knows how to perform and is confident to do so, and can play Florence perfectly. So we think she will be effective. And if there is anyone else we need, we have not yet thought of a part and so cannot say yet who we have in mind.

What pro-filmic and post-production special effects would be suitable?

We might shoot in a sepia tone, which will be effective to do afterwards in post-production as well as maybe altering the brightness and contrast and saturation if we wanted it to have a faded washed out effect to go with the dark undertone of the song. Or alternatively we could raise the saturation and contrast to give it a very bright, pop sort of look. I think ultimately it depends on our narrative and concept, but right now I think it will only really be things to do with the colouring.

We may manipulate the time though, particularly if we use the balloons they may look better floating off at a much slower speed.

Who else would you need to 'employ' to help you with this production?

We just need our actress to play Florence, our second actor if we need them, and any extras if necessary but I don't think we are going to want them. I think we all know how to use the lighting in the drama studio but if we are stuck with anything we will need to get somebody who is confident with that to help us or at least to teach us what to do.

Consider the theorist Richard Dyer and his ideas about stars.

Thinking about our artist in terms of Dyer we need to see her as an image and a product in a sense. We need to look at her other videos to see what her image is and decide whether or not we are going to recreate this or challenge it. We also need to consider the techniques we want to use to create this image like the use of CU and her star motif.

Having said that I think Florence's image is something of a childish outcast. In her videos there is always an element of having fun and her not really caring what she is doing, but also in some a possible sense of vulnerability and being in over her head. I think in our video I want to show the vulnerable nature of her star image particularly as I think that will be more fitting to the song than the quirky one of her running around a wood. However, I do want to keep the childish nature in the video, having her dance is one way to represent this. Her star motif is things like glitter and bird cages that she is so often associated, also colour is an important thing in terms of Florence particularly as her hair is such a vivid red. I think we should in our video either emphasise the importance of colour in her image or get rid of it altogether, by which I mean use a lot of black and whites and possible shoot in a sepia tone.

Florence fits Dyer's first key paradox in that she seems both down to earth and friendly as well as being extraordinary in that she seems adventurous and daring and doesn't seem to be afraid of anything. Some qualities that I think we need to try and establish or at least explore in our video. In terms of his second key paradox Florence doesn't particularly fit the criteria as she is present in all her videos and album covers and there is no sense of her being absent. She is such a powerful and dominant presence that it seems unnecessary to have her absent at any point in our music video or digiPak.

KG - Improving from Last Year

I think last year we were successful and our group worked very well. But to improve this year, I think although our blogs were successful, this year they need to be better. With more pictures, more stills, more evaluations etc.
I also think that we ought to be better organised, even though we managed to finish everything in time last year, this year there is more we need to do, with the print element as well, and so we need to manage our time better, especially with having to rely on an actress again and not just ourselves.
I think in terms of production our shoots could be a little better, last year we did procrastinate before shooting, but this year because of the limited time I think we need to not be so easily distracted. I also would like us to focus a lot more on the other elements in our film such as the mise-en-scene, lighting and costume, we didn't really give them too much though last year as it seemed more important to get our narrative across but this year I want us to make every little detail of this video perfect. I think this is something I would personally like to improve on, rather than rushing to get it finished, actually stopping and looking to make sure everything is right.
Which is another improvement because last year when we were filmed everything was fine, but as soon as we got into editing we noticed so many mistakes that we were then unable to rectify, so I hope this year we can be more meticulous and observant and not make silly mistakes like leaving our storyboard in the back of the shot.

KG - Improving Moodboards

Currently I have three moodboards, one with general ideas that link to our artist and genre, the other two with stills from all her previous music videos to help show the style and feel of them so that we might be inspired by them. The reason I have two of these is that one is more general with all her videos, and the other is only of stills from her original 'Dog Days' video because it is the one that most inspires me and the one I personally feel would be better for us to recreate in a sense. It seems to epitomise Florence whereas her later videos don't, and I want our video to be more of the old Florence.

To improve the moodboards I am going to continue to add to them as well as gaining on what Lucy and Emma have also put on theirs. By looking more indepthly at costume, lightning, mise-en-scene, as well as just the general style. Something that I have started to do when looking at her previous videos as seen above.

Group - Class Feedback

We played our track to the class to get some ideas for our video. These will help to enforce the initial ideas we already have and help with the creative process.
The results were as follows:

People thought that we should use outdoor locations such as woods and open fields, preferably with sunny weather to reflect the feel of the artist.
There was an agreement that we need a strong actress to play Florence, and to lip sync to the song, and that there should definitely be a strong performance based element possibly intertwined with a more conceptual narrative to do more with the lyrics of the song.
People thought we should shoot in a sepia tone to give the video a vintage feel that reflects the image and style of the artist, there was also the idea that it could be part stop motion if it was appropriate.
There was an opinion that we could include a boy in the video as well as the leading singer. And possibly use a graveyard as a location to tie in with the theme of coffins.
Costumes were a key thing too, they need to stay in tune with the image and feel of the artist, as well as the mise-en-scene of the video, using such things as bird cages, bunting, glitter etc. such as can be seen in her previous videos.

ERT- Last years blog improvements

Looking back at last years blog I think we need to include more stills of footage we take in the review of each ofthe shoots. Also I think having a larger moodboard with a bigger variety of images will enable us to create more concepts. I also think that we should evaluate more music videos to enable us to get a better feel for our genre.

ERT- Improving moodboard

My moodboard currently stands as more a specific collage of images of our artist, florence and the machiene, rather than including clothing, locations, quotes, characters etc. As we already have some ideas of locations and our main character (florence) I need to collect photographs of them and add them to the moodboard. Locations we have in mind our the woods in either Pembury or Tunbridge wells as well as our drama studio.

ERT- The process of making a music video

Construction

• In a video this includes technical skills such as holding the camera still, framing a shot correctly, using a variety of distances, using appropraite shooting material, mise-en-scene, editing, varied shot transitions and use of titles.
• In print work this includes skills such as appropriate use of IT, understanding conventions, variety of fonts and text sizes, accurate use of language, framing of shots, shooting appropraite material and mise-en-scene.

Planning

Planning includes 8 main stages:

• Choosing a track and deciding group roles- why is it appropriate? What conventions might there be? Initial ideas? Doing a reccie may inspire or enforce certain ideas.Choosing the track is very important, although you should pick something challengeing you must consider budget and locations when deciding. Also remember you do not have to stick to a genre tat you would necessarily listen to yourself.
• Researching relevant videos and print texts- to see conventions and trends that similar videos may follow.
• Researching a specific target audience - find what the target audience will and won't like.
• Pitching your idea to the class - including moodboards, video treatment and relation to product research and target audience.
• Storyboard and animatic - The animatic allows you to see if your planned concept will actually fit to the track and in correct timing.
• Planning production - filming/ photo shoots. Must ensure that you film more than needed as if you do not have enough things such as weather conditions may have changed making the final outcome different.
• Planning post-production - editing. Plan your time accordingly as editing takes a long time, expect to spend time outside of lessons.
• Testing your product to and audience

Budgeting

Obviously this being a school project we dont have the same budget as a specialising company would have. Therefore when making the choice of track and when creating the concept it is important to keep it in mind. We don't have the resources such as backing dancers, music and filming studios, therefore if an artist that typically has high budget music videos it would be wise to re think.

LS - Technical Analysis: 'Starry Eyed'

Below is my technical analysis of 'Starry Eyed' by Ellie Goulding (1.10 - 1.34)