Filming Day 1

 11 am-
I arrived at Oli's house (Set 1) to begin filming my scene, when I got there we set up the living room so that both the props and Mannequin where in good spots for the intended representations.

Actually filming the scene took a while because we tried dozens of different shot types and angles so it was easier when it came down to editing the scene.


1pm-
By this time I had moved onto filming the kitchen scene which involved new equipment, like the hand held stabiliser that I used for tracking shots, and I also changed lens to allow Alex to walk into the focus.

Story Board: Updated Narrative

Updated Narrative

We have had to change the narrative due to the previous narrative not fitting the lyrics as it didn't show the intended message that we wanted the audience see, which is love what you have even if there is rough times.

Filming Schedule

12:00pm-12:30pm: We will get everything set up and talk to the cast to talk them what will happen and describe what it is they will have to do. And the expressions that they need 

12:30-2:00: For this time, we will film my part of the narrative as he will film the narrative for half of the song and so will use the shots he has planned out which will depict a narrative of the two brothers having an argument before they make up and then I will show them getting along. And I will remember to start with shots that establish the equilibrium. I will film up to just before the 2^nd chorus of the song and that is where Oli will take over and film my part of the narrative.

2:00-3:30: After I has filmed his section of the narrative Oli will film mine which will show the children getting along and this will be through them watching TV together and going playing, the bridge of the song will begin and this will demonstrate a disequilibrium as the child will lose the toy train and they will fall out with each other before the song reverts back to the chorus when the two kids will walk away from each other.

Narrative

Talent Release Form

Focus Group

We have asked the below questions, as it will give us a good opportunity to see what our audience desire out of our product which will allow us to use their ideas in our video which will develop the bands popularity which follows Dyer's Star Theory as we are institutionalizing the band and we are creating the connection to the audience. 

Target Audience Identification.

                

Licensing request to Domino Records.

We are going to be using a song which is published by a label therefore we needed to ask for permission to use there song. 

Analysis of Arctic Monkeys brand image.

I have researched Arctic Monkeys, and their album covers as it gives us a look at who they are as people and artists, it allows us to see their style of work.

(top left) this cover shows a mid-shot council estate, thighting is dark which connotes that life on the poor 

Suck it and see, connotes that they are very minimalist and simple, it shows they like to keep to themselves as it doesn't show pictures and  its very simple. Similar in the top right there isn't much to say about there minimalist approach in there later more recent years.

Other than that they show images of their loves, their homes and their friends. But they all show dark colours.

Above suck it and see the image shows a man staring directly at the camera with a cigarette in his mouth, the fact he is looking directly at the camera makes it appear as if he know its rebellious to smoke but hes saying 'so what' which connects with the audience and influences them.

         

Music Video analysis

Analysis of Our Songs Lyrics.

Mardy Bum by The Arctic Monkeys

The reason why we have chosen this song is because it lyrically follows the conventions of Alternative Rock as a genre, which allows us to visually display this through costume camera angles and shot types. Also, there is no current existing official music video for the song which will help us to be creative and will help to create an authentic and unique music video.

The main meaning of the song is a description of an ordinary relationship, where the girl has mood swings, one day she is happy the next she is a 'Mardy Bum'. Mardy Bum is a piece of northern slang meaning a person, usually female, who is sulking for an insignificant reason. For our narrative we are going to put our own twist on the song by

The song begins by comparing his girlfriends frown, to looking down the barrel of a gun, this is a metaphor saying the girls frown is a near death, threatening situation, it is also use of semic codes which associates the woman wot violence and danger.


He then talks about the other side to her which he prefers one that isn't always miserable. Its clear to see the meaning of this song, the writer is reminiscing on a past relationship that didn't end well.

He then talks about the argument happening again, this is paired with a sense of fear from him, saying 'I'm in trouble again'.
He talks about her doing the disappointment face as if it is a routine and happens often.

He talks about doing one thing wrong, the one thing that started all of the arguments, he talks about her thinking that he doesn't love her anymore or care anymore. Which is a sad and depressing touch to the song.

This part of the song appears to be an attempt to relight the relationship, but then he reminds himself its hard to remember there ever being a piece of love in the relationship.

The song follows along with Todorov's theory that all narratives follow a step by step process, this is shown by the start talking about cuddles in the kitchen which shows everything is as it should be, this is also the only part of the song that shows equilibrium its almost as if its reverse Todorov's theory.

Narrative Theory Research

Why have researched narrative structure?
My research on narrative structure will aid me when thinking of my own narrative for the video, it will allow me to be more creative with the narrative that create, and I will be able to use these codes better the quality of my product. Specifically, we will use Todorov's theory by starting with the equilibrium and breaking it throughout the middle of the narrative, but have no equilibrium at the end.

Comparison of Alternative Rock and House

I have compared the two genres as it gives me an extensive look into which genre will be the best for our music video, it also gives us the information we need to research or audience and conduct focus groups.

In my opinion, the genre that would best suit our task is Alt. Rock, this is because there is a lot of freedom with what we can have in the music video, whereas the music videos for house music our restricted to the same style, which is at the event behind the DJ, or at a house party with women in minimal clothing.

The alt rock genre will allow us to show more of a narrative as it contains a more lyrically based style of music, whereas the house video would be restricted to no narrative as there are no links able to be made to the lyrics, and there is rarely even lyrics in the songs.

From the research that I have conducted I have found out that the alternative rock genre gives us the ability to show the artists as both an actual human, and a made up persona for the narrative, which isn't a possibility for the house genre.

Music videos from the house genre seem to be expensive to film as there are flashy cars houses and lots of people to hire, this would take time and money that we cant afford. The alt rock genre seems like it would be a quicker process for hiring and finding our locations.

Artist Analysis Alternative Rock

Arctic Monkeys

The typical artist for the genre is a male band, like The Arctic Monkeys, that shows themselves as rebellious, self-loving, and stubborn. This is because of the genre's relation to social drinking and smoking, which creates such a wide fan base for the bands as they use realism to create an unfiltered approach to problems that can relate to their fanbase.

Their clothing is usually going to be dark casual clothing as connotes that rebellious factor which is common amongst bands like Arctic Monkeys and Oasis. And usually their hair is not cut short, connoting they are lazy and can't keep a high maintenance lifestyle.

Make-up is used on the band members to draw more attention to the performance or it can be used on the characters in the video if the attention is more needed in the narrative.

On the left and the right, the the guys have that medium length hair style with black suits, which connotes the rebellious factor and it also contradicts themselves as they are wearing suits looking smart but don't care about having scruffy hairstyle. The middle left guy is wearing braces/suspenders, along with his greased hair style he looks like someone out of a 70's movie, which links to the genres old roots and helps relate the Arctic Monkeys to it's older fan base

Alternative Rock Lyric Analysis

Green Day- Boulevard Of Broken Dreams.
The song sets a depressing mood as the lyrics are accompanied by a slow guitar until the chorus this creates a slow paced vibe that unsettles the listener.

The lyrics also set this tone, as it says about being alone forever, walking the lonely road and not knowing where it goes or ends it is a metaphor for the life spiralling into nothing, which forms a connection with the audience as this is topic that people who have an idolised position in society don't like to express which links them to there audience who need help..

The songs lyrics could possibly be speculating about rehab off of an addiction or other drug related issues. Talking about how he is alone on the road of recovery with no help. This links to the video because the makeup used by the lead singer shows a pale face which connotes illness.

The repetition of 'I walk alone' connotes that the only thing he knows how to do is be alone and he cant stop it or help it.
  He talks about his shadow being the only thing walking with him, which again connotes a depressing tone and carries on the running metaphor a possible drug addiction.








Then he begins to sing about how its affected his mental state and he is at the edge, hes on the border, this could mean hes going insane hes trying to fix his addiction but its getting worse. Which creates a sad and depressing tone.

When he talks about checking his vital signs it shows that he is that depressed he doesn't know whether he is alive or dead, which is again depressing and sad, which sows a re occurring pattern that is shown through out green days other songs.


The song uses a lot of Barthes codes of enigma, as it is telling a story that we have to figure out, about whether he is going through depression or a breakup, or a possible rehab.

Mood Board For Alternative Rock

First of all, the clothing used by the bands in the pictures consists of dark leather/casual jackets, which connotes an unruly feeling towards them.


The Killers have used lighting which makes the brand image appear in the foreground which brings the band name 'The Killers' to the attention of the audience, which again connotes they are not the type to care for rules, it also shows they are violent and dangerous.


Oasis have used binary opposition to connote how random and unpredictable the genre can be, the use of black shows mystery which again agrees with the genre conventions. The use of binary opposition also connotes that they like to challenge the established views on society, for example they show smoking and drinking in there music videos. By using realism like this they have gained a huge following, because they show what life for there audience is really like.







The medium-long length hair, which is signature to the genre, shows they are against the social constructs it isn't seen as normal for a man to have long hair. This has created iconography for the alternative rock genre, which has lead fans to idolize the bands, and style there hair just like there favorite artists.



This is an oasis CD cover, it contains imagery taken from the bands perspective which gives the album a personal and sincere tone.

The picture connects with both their old and new fans, as it depicts a huge group of people gathering to listen to their music. For old people this will bring back the memories of when they were younger and they enjoyed festivals like that, much like the young audience that it also connects with. This reinforces the albums title 'TIME FLIES'.

The logo is conventionally positioned in the top left of the screen which is done regularly in album covers from bands like Oasis and Kooks. The logo being black and white sticks out from the coloured image which connotes that Oasis as a band 'stick out from the crowd' which is something they preach to there audience, always encouraging people to be themselves and be unique.

Conventions of Alternative Rock

Lyric Analysis House

The lyrics of this particular genre follow the disjuncture theory as they are completely irrelevant to the narrative that is shown in the video or there might not even be one in the videos of the genre, people dont usually listen to the music of this genre for the videos they usually just listening for he high tempo dance music so there isnt usually a link to the video and lyrics.






The song starts with sentences about being impatient implying that the singer is waiting for something or someone this, is relevant to the genre as the songs usually portray relationships between individuals.


The artist then says about the clock running down implying there is not enough time for her to be with this person, who is then refereed to as him, the artist then says 'I want to feel him breathe' which is agreeing with the genre research as the lyrics are connoting sexual relations.





This is then carried on when the artist sings about waiting all night then using the word 'baby' which tells the listener the artist again being sexual which follows the genre conventions as the music is aimed for young ages.

This section of the song is romantic and intimate with the lyrics that the artist is saying, with phrases like 'I want his hands on me' carries n the theme of sexuality that has been present in this song

The song is full of repetition as the lyrics are supposed to not take away from the beat as the listeners will usually be in the club or partying so the lyrics are less important in the house genre.

House Conventions

At this stage we are torn between alternative rock and house so the research we are conducting will help us towards making the final decision.

Music videos for house/dance music videos usually don't follow many codes and conventions, this gives the freedom to create an idea for a video. They mainly feature videos about love, sexuality and things a young audience could relate towards. 

There is a strong use of realism, as there is no sense of romance its just straight forward everyday party lives which helps the demographic connect with each song and music video.

This tells us the demographic that we are going to be aiming our music video at, its going to be around 16-23 year olds that we aim for.


The videos tend to feature clubbing scenes, women with minimal clothing or stylish/ designer clothing, jumping/dancing around, pools, UV paint, drinking and they look nice. The atmosphere is wild and crazy.

House/dance videos are played in clubs, and people are meant to dance to this so, the videos nearly always feature some form of dancing within the video.

The excessive use of neon colours connotes the energetic style of music that house is, it also shows an important part of its demographic life which is the party life, it creates a connection to the listener as they can relate to the genre.
This picture shows a screenshot from a house music video, it shows one person dancing in the middle of a circle which connotes that the music gives people confidence that they didn't have before hand. It also shows them as a community.

The clothing that they are wearing in the picture connotes that they are young and stylish which agrees with the conventions and aligns with the community and atmospheric affec t the picture guives off as they are all trying to wear stylish designer clothing.

Dyer's Star Theory

His theory can be broken down into three sections:

• audience and institutions
• constructions
• hegemony

Audience and institutions:

Richard Dyer's Star theory is the idea that icons and celebrities are created by companies for financial gain. The stars are created to make money and expand the brand image to gain a wider audience- The Arctic Monkeys have done this by gaining a huge following through revolutionizing the genre with there relate-able style which connects with the audience. Which gives them an audience that wants to keep returning for the social benefit. The Arctic Monkeys released 'Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not', which  became the fastest selling debut album in UK chart history, selling 363,735 copies in the first week.

  

Constructions

He suggests there is a template or a set of expectations for stars to follow. Because stars are constructed, and we are made to have expectations of these stars-

This is shown in the TV show X-Factor as the contestants go into the show as regular people when auditioning, however they transition into stars by the time the show finishes, which allows them to start there own career without the viewership of the X-Factor. it shows us the difference before and after they become stars.

Hegemony:

The idea that people have a connection to the star due similarities due to cultural aspects. He believes that stars are made to represent 'real people' experiencing real emotions. They have the same ideology so audiences keep consuming- 

The Arctic Monkeys have never been the type to shy away from showing who they are even if it doesn't follow the social construct, an example of this is the 'Whatever people say...' album cover showing someone smoking, it makes a connection to the audience which influences the audience to be who they want to be and do what they want, which links to the genre conventions of being rebellious.

Arctic Monkeys Digi-Pack

 

Goodwin’s Theory of Music Videos

Why have researched narrative theory?
My research on narrative theory will aid me when thinking of my own narrative for the video, it will allow me to be more creative with the narrative that create, and I will be able to use these codes to better the quality of my product, and I will be able to follow illustration, which will allow us to cut between the band and narrative.

My Group

Firstly, my group is Me, Alex Grandage and Oli Kelsey, we were in the same group last year doing our AS task (An opening sequence), so we are good at being in a team together which will help us to be more efficient in filming and planning.

We have decided to go with the House-Pop genre. The Genre will allow us to add a good narrative that doesn't directly affect the lyrics or doesn't translate perfectly but the narrative can portray the same feelings that the lyrics do. Its also easy to get audience research for as it is our age group making it relevant in our lives.

SWOT Analysis

The Brief:
-To create promotional packaging for a music video and also the create the video.

Strengths:

• More freedom with the conventions.
• Not as much psycho-graphic work or demographic work.
• Able to carry over our editing techniques

Weaknesses:

• Totally different editing and recording styles to last time.
• We all have different styles of music so it will be hard to find a middle ground.

Opportunities:

• We will be able to develop our understanding of Final Cut Pro, and sound editing within it.
• Multiple genres can be explored.

Threats:

• We might struggle to find actors for our band narrative.
• Our video could end up like other videos, not very unique.

My Target

Be consistent with the techniques that I use in my advanced portfolio, and utilize a range of technology and formats when blogging.