Anna and I
originally wanted our main character in the video to be a boy, this was to
portray the idea that the character is expressing the lyrics himself, and the
lyrics are what he is thinking, but may never have the courage to declare.
However due to the fact that our actor was not very reliable and had a set
timetable which we could not fit into, Anna and I thought it would be best if
we took the role of the main character, and interpreted the song in a different
way (the girl is listening to the song, oblivious to the fact that it is about
her). We thought the easiest way to do this was to flip a coin, I was the coins
chosen victim, I did not mind doing the role, as I acted in my AS thriller
film. Later on we then felt that this decision was a superb idea, as my dark
brown hair would stand out perfectly over the location (beach huts, sand, sea).
Also that the white headphones would be seen, as this was an aspect we were
worried about.
(INCLUDE IMAGE)
By casting
an actor who is in the same age range as, not only the members of Jungle
Doctors, but also the target audience, the resolution is the audience relating
to the character. For example, some girls dream for a man to sing to them,
which can be interpreted to happen in our music video.
Different
Interpretations we are trying to portray in our video:
·Lead singer is serenading
the girl (song written for her) but she is completely oblivious
·the girl is just
one of many listening to the song - no deeper meaning
·By listening to the
song it has almost brainwashed her into going to specific places relevant to
the song
·no real story to it
- montage - girl going about her daily life
. The location and aspects of the video can be emphasised with the lyrics (For example; 'We'll take flight tonight', there is a shot of a bird flying out to sea, refelcting the power of the bands lyrics and beats towards their audience
The track heightens the scenery in front of the girl (landscape/locations) For example the sea and the Norfolk Broad offer a stunning contrast when juxtaposed which shots of the arcade. This reflects the power of the band and how they can promote and emphasis the energy of their fans.
Anna
and I chose to shoot at 18.00pm onwards, as we felt that this was a good time
for footage of the sun setting, and to represent that dream like feel.
On
one day of shooting, we chose to start at 3.00pm onwards; resulting in us
getting the daytime shots (arcade, beach huts) and then also carry on with the
shooting, getting more scenic shots of the sun setting.
The
location was that of Lowestoft beach, this is because it had everything that we
required:
Andrew Goodwin 'There is a
frequent reference to the notion and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the
female body'
Women in
this modern day and age are widely represented negatively in the music industry
(especially in Hip Hop/Pop), many celebrities use "sex" to sell their
products, sometimes subtly, sometimes not, this is because of the known fact
that "sex sells". Many women musicians project the idea that they
want to get ahead in the music industry, and feel that they can only do this by
flaunting their womanly attributes, resulting in their costumes being
provocative and overly sexual. A lot of female artists rely heavily on being
hyper-sexualised female performers to appeal to a large audience within the
music industry. Resulting in their behaviour effecting young and impressionable
generations that assume that this is the correct way to present themselves. For
example Young (8+ years) girls idolise celebrities such as Britney and Rihanna
who, in their music videos, portray women as demeaning and one
dimensional. This highlights that the musicians do not care of their effect on
young children, but they only know that sexy images shift records, the persist
that they are 'playing a role that is far easier to play in a male centred
sexually charged industry'. The soulless portrayal of female artists in the
media suggests that they are exploited and objectified, they also produce
unrealistic representations of beauty, which damages individual’s body
image and values. However some individuals would argue that it is not only
women who consult the idea of "sex selling", an example of Elvis
gyrating his hips in the 1950s, targeted the audience of women, resulting in
Elvis selling vast amounts of records, not only because of his unique talent,
but of the sex appeal to women.
When
I was nine the Pussycat Dolls and Christiania Aguilera were the most well-known
female artists, their videos were provocative and represented women in a
demeaning and nasty way. However at the age in which the tracks were released,
I was too naïve to think of the videos any more than just that of a song, and
the clothes worn were the latest trends at that time. This is a perfect
example that the impact of the representation of females in the music
industry, effects that of young children. How has treating women like this
become the backdrop of our daily lives? To stop children from witnessing
explicit aspects of media, films and games have age certificates on them,
stopping them from being exhibited to children of a young age, but how
does this not occur within music videos? Children of all ages in all locations
(bowling alleys and cafes) are witnessing the provocative nature, without
even their own consent let alone their parents.
Christina Aquilera's 'Can't hold us down' was widely recognized by some as a feminist anthem; 'great anthem about a women sticking up for themselves in a misogynistic way'. Lyrically I would agree with this statement; the song criticises the common idea that men are applauded for their sexual behaviours, whilst women who behave in the same way are looked down upon and judged; 'The guy gets all the glory the more he can score/why the girl can do the same and yet you call her a whore'. However I feel that the video contradicts the lyrics completely, if the message that she is trying to get across is "women should not be accused of sleeping around', she contradicts this by dressing exactly the way in which she is trying to oppose.
Miley cyrus
Miley Cyrus (Destiny Hope Cyrus) was born in 1992 in Nashville. She is the daughter of Billy Ray Cyrus, and has Dolly Parton for a godmother. She is an american actress and recording artist, and became known as a teen idol in 2006 with the role of "Miley Stewart" in the hit Disney tv series Hannah Montana, which led to her getting a record deal from Hollywood Records. Recently she has been known for her bad reputation, and the way she presents herself (women) in the media. She emphasizes the idea that women must use their bodies to get recognition in the music industry.
In 2008 (age 15) Miley began transitioning into an adult image; 'As an idol to teens over the world, Miley will have to face adulthood... as she does, she'll want to change her image and that change will be met with adversity' - Donny Osoma. Hannah Montana had such success that she starred in the feature film "Hannah Montana: The Movie", whose soundtrack and lead single 'The climb' introduced her to country and adult contemporary markets. At the age of just 15, Miley posed topless, wrapped in a bed sheet, for a photo shoot in Vanity Fair, which caused massive outcry for fans and parents, as the teen icon was representing the idea that children at 15 should behave in the same manner. Miley was quoted expressing that they were 'silly inappropriate shots, I am going to make mistakes, I am not perfect. I never intended for any of this to happen'. coincidentally her market value picked up considerably after.
Miley developed an adult image and mainstream pop sound with the album
'Time of our lives'. Mileys highest peaking single in the charts (2009) 'Party
in the USA' caused media uproar regarding her performance at theTeen Choice Awards. Some viewers
criticized the singer for her provocative outfit and the inclusion of a brief
pole dance routine, which was completely inappropriate for the 16 year old, and
her teenage fans. Children as young as 5 attend theTeen choice awards, parents and critics
felt that there was a time and place for raunchy behaviour, in front of their
young children, regardless of being their "idol", this location was
not one of them. However News Day reported that her sexualisation 'has been
coming for some time, 'it worked for Britney... Good girl gone bad'.
Her maturing image progressed with the film 'The last song' and her album 'Can't be tamed' (2010). The album featured more prominent dance elements then her earlier releases, and was promoted through sexually themed performances. Mileys performance on Britain's Got Talent of Can't be tamed, included outfits and dance routines which were considerably more provocative then previous performances. This aroused media criticism as she grabbed a female backing dancer dipping her low stimulating a kiss, but never the less, a considerable amount of attention. Again emphasizing the representation, that to get far in the music industry women must use their bodies to promote their music.
I particularly noticed in the video 'Who Owns My Heart', that Miley looks very uncomfortable and awkward with the way she is portraying herself. It suggests that she has been somewhat persuaded to act in a way which she is not comfortable with, to boost her fan base and gain a wider target audience.
Miley Cyrus "transformation" to the extreme began in 2012, when she cut her trademark long brown hair and dyed it blonde. This generated a considerable amount of media attention, she explained that she had 'never felt more myself'. This again emphasizes the idea that women must look a certain way to be known in the industry; rather than changing her style of music, she chose to present herself in a more reckless and unique way. She always grabbed the spotlight by "twerking" on stage at her concerts, which is dancing in a sexually provocative manner involving thrusting hip movements and a low squatting stance. Evidently not a dance which should be shown in front of her young teen fans.
"We can't stop" was released in 2013, the video received a mix reception, as it highlighted her within a more sexual public image, never the less this lead her to achieve ten million views in 24 hours on the Youtube. There was a subject of widespread media attention and public scrutiny following her controversial performance and duet with Robin Thicke and the Video Music Awards. Miley was costumed in a skin colored latex outfit ('If I could have been naked, I would've been'), and she began to touch and twerk against Thickes crotch. News and social media sites featured numerous articles about parental concerns with the performance and the impact it had on children (many whom are Mileys fans), as the performance was exhibited for everyone with no prewarning of explicit nature. A Hollywood reported described the performance as a 'bad acid trip'. Some individuals even felt that the performance contributed to the dehumanization of black women in using them as a living prop, and Miley slapping one on the backside. She responded however with 'their over thinking it. You're over thinking it more than I thought about it when I did it'.
Miley was interviewed on the Ellen Degeneres show about her 'psychotic' performance, it was a chance for Miley to explain herself. She explained that her performance was not to be taken seriously, 'I was dressed as a teddy bear for Christ sake', and she did not understand the shock regarding her performance. She also felt that it was unfair to be criticized when other female artists, such as Lady Gaga, were dressed far more inappropriately than she was. Elton John responded to Mileys performance by saying that artists 'are competing against each other for attention', but surely this a bad representation of women, as he is saying to get attention in the music industry, you must wear next to nothing and dance provocatively? This is worrying, especially regarding young children, who aspire to be these artists, as they will think that acting in the same way will provide them the same attention. Mileys "excuse" for not wearing many clothes frequently, is that clothes give her anxiety, and she feels enclosed and captured when wearing them. She also claimed that the only individuals opinions she cares for, are that of her fans. But does she not care of the impact and influence she is contributing to her fans?
Lady Gaga at the VMAs
The single 'Wrecking Ball' was released soon after the end of her engagement with Liam Hemsworth, it was her first number one in the USA and promotes the controversial idea that young women should be sexually available to express their emotions.
Miley recently starred in a documentary about her life called ' Miley The Movement', here she justified her actions, and gave her audience an incite of her life. One aspect which stood out to me tremendously was a scene of Miley talking to a fan who had customized her own clothing, it was obvious that the fan was a tween and is influenced by Miley in a big way, I would not say it is a good influence.
Lily Allen Born in 1985, Lily Allen is known for her hardhitting contraversiol music, but the world was not prepared for her new release since 2009 of Hard Out Here. Unlike Miley Cyrus's Wrecking Ball, the video does include the sign of explicit content, which is one, and possibly the only good fact about the video.
The
video begins with Allen on an operating table proceeding with liposuction; it
seems, at her manager’s request who is asking the question 'how can somebody
get themselves like this'. Suggesting the mistreatment of women in the music
industry, regarding to the fact that their bodies must change and progress to
social norms, if they want success. She is handled and judged like a peice of meat, which is how many women are treated within the music industry. 'You'll find me in the studio and not in
the kitchen/I won't be bragging 'bout my cars or talking 'bout my chains.',
suggesting the feminist side of Allen’s video, that as a feminist she will not
be expected to participate in "women’s" activities, but in fact do
what she wants, even if many see it as a "mans job". However it could
be seen as offensive to women who choose to take part in domestic roles. 'If I
told you 'bout my sex life, you'd call me a slut/when boys be talkin ' bout
their bitches, no one’s making a fuss', this statement highlights the
difference between how men and women are treated differently, not only in the
music industry, but in the everyday life also. 'Forget your balls and grow a
pair of tits', emphasises the fact that it is harder for a female in the music
industry, and if a male was treated in this way, he would not
"survive". She is expressing that men should 'try being a women in
this society and tell me how easy it is'. By calling herself a 'bitch', she is
mocking the misogynistic term that the likes of Robin Thicke refer women as.
However It is also suggested that by accusing herself and other women as
bitches, she is contributing to the sexism. By stating the word 'bitch' she is
creating a relationship between her and all the other members of the audience
who have been called a bitch. The
video makes a bold, brash and huge statement about sexualisation and objectification
of women in the music industry, however it is not clear whether the statement
is positive or negative.
There
was a discussion on radio 4 during Women’s Hour, which echoed the distress of
fans and race and feminist campaigners voiced their concerns. Many people have
been 'troubled' by the racial message of the video, and the idea of Allen being
racist has been suggested by many. This firstly can be seen with the lyrics '
Don't need to shake my ass for you/Cause I’ve got a brain', the video than cuts
to the shot of the black women shaking their bums, this suggests the idea that
Allen is insinuating that the black dancers are not smart and 'do not have a
brain'. The concept of racisms is seen again within the video, as Allen and the
two white backing dancers are covered up (gold jackets, long sleeve dress),
whereas the black dancers are barely covered, hardly protecting their modesty.
Regarding this criticism and the heightened view of Allens racism, she thought
back, and produced a tweet with statements on how this was completely unnecessary
and that she was 'not going to apologise,' because that would imply that she
was 'guilty of something'.
Allen
is focusing on the mistreatment and representation of women in the music
industry, but in some aspects she is going about it the wrong way. Firstly,
young girls may not understand the deeper message of this video, and just see
Allen on the screen 'shaking her ass' and calling herself a 'bitch', and believe
that this is the correct way to act. Also by addressing the fact that she feels
it is unacceptable for Thicke and Cyrus to dance provocatively half dressed,
she is contradicting herself, as she is doing the same within her video.
Although it may be a parody, she is still attracting the attention from
audiences from participating in 'shaking her assets'. Robin Thicke
I thought that it was a good idea to research the music videos that Jungle Doctors have already produced, as this could help Anna and I with our footage and how we present our Edit. The two videos were made in 2012 one for their song 'Landslide' and the other for 'Boat Song'.
Landslide was the first video produced by Jungle Doctors. It begins with the raw sound of the location, and the track does not begin until it is placed in the turn table. This aspect links to our music video, as our track does not begin until our character has placed her headphones in her ears. The first shot is that of the shed in which 'the magic of the band happens'. The video was produced by members of the band, it is a montage of the band and their daily lives, it is an introduction to the fans of what Jungle Doctors are like. It is not a serious professional video, which, for example, can be seen through the shaky camera technique. The footage of them performing at a gig I feel is very effective, as it lets the audience know that although they are messing about and having fun in the video, they do take their jobs seriously, and when it comes down to performing for a crowd they are focused. Anna and I contacted the band asking when their next gigs were as we wanted to film some of their performances, and also possibly interviewing them afterwards, unfortunately the band never replied to our email.
Although the band have already produced a music video for Boat Song, Anna and I felt that we could make a completely different interpretation of the song. This video was made after that of Landslide, this can be seen through the fact that it has a professional feel to it. The band are in the same location, with the same types of shots, giving it a minimalist feel; it is just the band, their instruments and their voices. Looking at the comments on youtube, one stood out to me which I quite agreed with; 'you sing about a boat, but I do not see a boat once'. This is helpful for Anna and I as by exhibiting boats and other aspects relating to them, we are providing for that fan. Who's few on the song, may be improved by our development of the music video.
After discussing that it would be a female character staring in our music video, Anna and I began to discuss costumes; firstly we both felt that the costume does not really matter too much as the nature of the song implies no sense of specific costume, but to fit our ideas, it must be casual. By wearing causal clothes, the idea of her "going about her day" is more realistic as the audience can relate to what she is doing. Anna and I wanted to make sure that our characters costume was relevant to that of our target audience (Teenager/young adult), so by our character not only being of that age, but also wearing high street brands, such as Topshop and New Look, the audience can feel a connection with the character. By wearing black our character has a mysterious feel to them, and gives the impression that they want to 'fit in with the crowd', and do not want to stand out and be noticed. It lets the audience ask; what are they hiding? Why are they trying to blend in? When shooting at night in some long shots it was hard to see the character, suggesting that her dark clothing makes her become one with the night and is forgotten. A positive of our character wearing dark clothing, is that when she is walking along the beach, or past the colourful beach huts, she stands out above the rest, as the color tones are completely different to that of her location. Forcing the audience to focus their attention her. By having red lips or a red top, our character emphasizes her mystery by being that of a femme fatale character; 'one who leads men into danger or disaster'. Perhaps she has bewitched the lead singer into singing about her, however it could only ever end badly for him. The red stands out above the black, it suggests beauty, rubies and in china happiness, however in some cases red is associated with the complete opposite; death, anger and blood. Intertextual reference of Mia Wallace in Pulp fiction is an example of the idea of plan costume, but lust due to her blood red nails and lips.
As Anna and I did not film in the summer, the costume of our character had to be relevant to autumn cold, hence the leggings and jacket, rather than shorts. The you tube videos exhibited relate to that of casual summer costumes (besides adele) but I managed to locate some aspects of costume which could be used in our production. For example in Carly Ray Jepson - Good time, the denim jacket could be used in our video. In these videos the representation of women is not for a sexual nature, by revising these types of videos the ideas on costumes were much more acceptable for the target market.
Dick Hebdige is a perfect theorist to link with the idea of costumes: he establishes that subcultures challenge dominant social norms, and that a group expresses their identity through what they wear and their style is constructed through popular culture. Our target audience, is inspired most by current fashion trends, they visit high street brands for the next style. Also they are influenced by celebrities, especially in music videos, for example Arctic Monkeys have become a well known success in the past year, it is suggested that their style was influence from that of the T Birds in Grease. Now the style has come very much back in fashion. Arctic Monkeys have even produced their own T shirts with their lyrics on them, again worn by fans (subcultures).
Andrew Goodwin, the first post modernism theorist, published his book 'Dancing in the Distraction Factory' in 1922 after many years of research into music videos. The book contained a number of conventions and key aspects for music videos. 'Music videos ignore common narrative as they are essentially advertisements. as consumers, we make up our own meaning of a song in our minds: a music video can anchor meaning and gives the record company/artist a method of anchoring meaning'
Key Aspects 1) Thought beats - Where you see the sound Goodwin stated that this key aspect is categorized in three steps:
First Step
Study into the music; interpret the lyrics by looking at the verses and chorus
Second step
Goodwin said that this is the voice within the song, for example when the artists voice is unique and can be recognized
An Example is 'Ellie Goulding', her voice is unique and can be easily recognized on aspects where she is not exhibited (the radio)
Third step
Stating that in this step the artist tells the story within their songs, Goodwin states that the artist therefore generates the reputation of a story teller. In this case the music video has been created to emphasize the lyrics and the story within the songs.
For example Adele is known for telling the story of heartbreak in her song:
2) The Narrative and Performance
Goodwin proclaimed that music videos should avoid common narrative, as their aim is to advertise. Therefore the artist will become both a participant and narrator within their music video. Lip syncing and other technical actions, increase the probability and prevent the audience from the audience disbelieving the narrative.
This can be seen in 'Eminem - love the way you lie'
3) The Star Image
Goodwin identified that an iconic star image can increase the audiences awareness of the artist, it therefore shows a development of that artist over time, increasing the audiences interest in music videos. Micheal Jackson, despite his death, is still a recognizable star image, establishing how successful his career was.
4) Relation of visuals to song
Goodwin categorized three ways in which much videos work to promote a song:
Illustrate: Use a set of images to illustrate the meaning of the lyrics/genre, this is the most common out of the three
Contradict: The meaning/lyrics of the song are completely ignored
Amplify: Meanings and effects are manipulated and constantly shown through the video and drummed into the audiences vision 5) Technical aspect of music video Goodwin states that the need for different technical aspects when creating a piece of film to ensure its success.
camera - movement and shots
sound - pace of the song, pitch, all change with different genres
mise en scene - location of the video, costumes make up
editing - effects added to the clips of film in the post production. can change the pace of video. ensures the audience remain interested
Conventions
1) Music videos demonstrate genre characteristics (e.g stage performance in metal video, dance routine for boy/girl band and iconography)
A music video can exhibit it's genre obviously through visual aspects of mise-en-scene and location. An example of this is in 'My Chemical Romance - Black Parade'
'One Direction - Best Song Ever' is an example of the genre being interpreted through the boy band and their "dance routine"
The idea of iconography is recognized that most artists have a trend of repeating certain actions in music
videos to establish their 'trademark, resulting in their songs being
recognizable. An example of this is the artist Amy Winehouse; her trademark
hairstyle and soulful voice are recognizable years after her death.
2) There is a relationship between lyrics and visuals (illustrative, amplifying, or contradicting) An example of a illustration in a music video, is that in 'Owl City - Fireflies'; when the lyrics 'fireflies' are expressed, the word is exhibited on the screen of the small toy gadget.
'JessieJ-Price Tag' is an example of contradictory in music videos; she expresses the lyrics 'it's not about the money', however she is seen standing under a tree with money around her. This displays how the visuals contradict the lyrics in this particular single.
'Adele - Someone Like You' exhibits the use of amplifying in music videos; Adele looks very emotional in connection with the lyrics 'for me it isn't over', this makes the audience sympathize with her as there is an obvious personal connection.
3) There is a relationship between music and visuals (e.g either illustrative, amplifying, contradicting)
Goodwin identified that the visuals within a music video may be edited in time to the lyrics/beat of the song. Also he felt that these visuals commonly were repeated within a chorus to emphasize the repetition.
An example of this is in 'Natasha Bedingfield - These Words', the music video is edited to fit the lyrics and beat.
4) The demands of the record label will include the need for lots of close ups of the artist and the artist my develop motifs which recur across their work (visual style) The use of close ups of the artist for the record labels, is so that their single is promoted to its audience, as they can identity the artist, as they are exhibited throughout.
'Justin Bieber- Beauty and The Beat' is an example of this, the camera focuses on him and never leaves him.
However it is most common for female artists to have close ups in provocative angles, often sexualizing the artist, and intriguing a wider audience (male). This can be seen in 'Britney Spears - My Prerogative'.
5)There is frequently reference to notion of looking (screens within screens, telescopes) and particularly voyeuristic treatment of the female body
Goodwin recognized that many music videos included voyeuristic angles of women in order for male audiences to be enticed. This is seen in shots of the artist and also to the lyrics these shots represent. Voyeuristic treatment is used to sexualize the artist and cause fetishistic connection for the male audience. Which is seen in 'Miley Cyrus - We Can't Stop'.
6)There are often intertextual references (to films, tv programmes, other music videos) Goodwin stated that it was not uncommon to recognize either the visuals or lyrics of a song to be a direct reference to another media text. This engages the audience, and provides them with gratification if they recognise the link. The modern intetextual reference of fairytales in 'Aluna George - Attracting Flies'. The video has a rustic modern urban edge to it, with not such a happy look on fairytales, like that of the Brothers Grimm stories.
