We then had the idea that other people may already have robots we could borrow, and so after asking around we managed to get our hands on two robots, they both have electronic movement and they are also free to move without power. However, we cannot take them apart, this makes them good for the band members but not for the main character. By using two robots acquired for free we can spend more money on the meccano models.
Thursday, 26 November 2009
Robot Hunting
We needed to find the perfect robots with all of the movements required in the video, so we decided to go shopping in our local town. We had some success and found some with limited movement and they were within the budget we had set ourselves. We decided as group that we could find the perfect robot with all of the movements required, so we went to Toys 'R' Us and found many different robots. Transformers were the best type of robot that we could find. However, they have weapons in their hands which would not fit with our theme and idea for the band. We then looked at using meccano models, these would be very useful as they are easily dissembled and we could take its arm off, one of the shots involves the robot picking up his own arm. The only problem with meccano is that they are expensive in comparison to our budget, it is possible for us to cover these costs but we would be limited for funds thereafter.
Tuesday, 17 November 2009
Tuesday, 10 November 2009
Sound and Vision by Straw, Goodwin et al 1993
Music videos exemplify the era of post-structuralism; Goodwin states that writings and research into music videos prove 'disciplines' to be a fluid concept and in the same way theories meet this hypothesis. For example, music videos do not fit into any academic subject. Tv studies, film theory, popular music studies or even postmodernism debates do not cover music video study. Our situation does not fit this theory because, as media students, we are studying the theory and production of music videos within the discipline of media studies. Although, we are not studying music specifically, the idea and teaching of mood, mise-en-scene and character development are all influenced by the genre and tone of the music.
As media students (and becuase media studies is a horizontal discourse), we use our experiences and knowledge gained from other studies in our music video. For example, Will and dan have studied art and design and, as they have founded the inital idea of our video, they have incorporated many of their skills learnt from these subjects into the story board. The ergonomics and movement of the robot are exmplary of their knowldge of design, and their experience of line, perspective, colour, composition and shape from art studies have all been an influence in this idea.
Helen and Kirsty study Enlgish and so have had a key role to play in the creation of the characters. Although all characters are inanimate objects, they each have a personality and so Helen and Kirsty have had ideas involving character development and ways in which these characteristics can be shown using few movements and motions. This is a similar technique to that used in literature, each character must be understood using only a few words and shown through their choices and actions.
As well as jazz, the telephone, Tv and more recently the internet, music videos were the latest in a list of important examples of how the media is developing. There are two advances, which have collided; the development of technology which allows audiences to produce their own videos and the ways in which people access music videos. These developments have made drastic changes to the way students such as ourselves can produce videos. The quality and ease of use the ever-developing software has allowed us to create industry-standard films and has opened the door to many techniques and effects that would have been inaccessible not that long ago. This also means we can develop our creativity as there are less restrictions due to software and budget. These developments have meant we can use technologies such as green and blue screen and stop motion animation easily.
As media students (and becuase media studies is a horizontal discourse), we use our experiences and knowledge gained from other studies in our music video. For example, Will and dan have studied art and design and, as they have founded the inital idea of our video, they have incorporated many of their skills learnt from these subjects into the story board. The ergonomics and movement of the robot are exmplary of their knowldge of design, and their experience of line, perspective, colour, composition and shape from art studies have all been an influence in this idea.
Helen and Kirsty study Enlgish and so have had a key role to play in the creation of the characters. Although all characters are inanimate objects, they each have a personality and so Helen and Kirsty have had ideas involving character development and ways in which these characteristics can be shown using few movements and motions. This is a similar technique to that used in literature, each character must be understood using only a few words and shown through their choices and actions.
As well as jazz, the telephone, Tv and more recently the internet, music videos were the latest in a list of important examples of how the media is developing. There are two advances, which have collided; the development of technology which allows audiences to produce their own videos and the ways in which people access music videos. These developments have made drastic changes to the way students such as ourselves can produce videos. The quality and ease of use the ever-developing software has allowed us to create industry-standard films and has opened the door to many techniques and effects that would have been inaccessible not that long ago. This also means we can develop our creativity as there are less restrictions due to software and budget. These developments have meant we can use technologies such as green and blue screen and stop motion animation easily.
Audience-produced videos are an easy way for producers to get their video out there in many different formats, therefore they are free advertising for the band and so the label behind them. On the other hand, the producers have very little control over these and so audiences can have a negative effect by corrupting videos and making ones which show the band in a poor light. No longer is MTV the only place where audiences access music videos; the development of the internet and mobile technology means music videos are becoming more widely viewed by a more varied audience. This means the producers can access and target their audiences in a more defined mannor, and yet can attract many different people who may not have heard of/not previously interested in the music/band/producer before. However, it also means the corruptive videos are easy to access. Overall, this development appears to be positive for the producers and bands/artists, eventually making them more money than if these developments had not taken place. Because of this ease of access, it is easier for us to actually put our video into the real world, it is free and very simple to upload it onto a site such as YouTube making our video more successful in advertising the band.
Some artists are worried that vanity of the video takes over the importance/sound of the music, meaning that good songs may not be as well recognised as a poor song with a well produced video. X Factor is a prime example of this, although videos are not part of the competition, many of the acts, who are more talented vocally than others, are knocked out of the running early on when poorer vocals are kept in and dance routines, mise-en-scene and lighting compensate and create a popular image for less talented acts. Our music video adheres to this theory as there are no people featured; it revolves around a single robot finding his feet in a new setting. We have replicated the band using further robots, this means the band will be known for the un-stereotypical video and the quality of the animation rather than the look of the band members and also the music becomes less prominent in the video; the action of the robots undermines this.
Some artists are worried that vanity of the video takes over the importance/sound of the music, meaning that good songs may not be as well recognised as a poor song with a well produced video. X Factor is a prime example of this, although videos are not part of the competition, many of the acts, who are more talented vocally than others, are knocked out of the running early on when poorer vocals are kept in and dance routines, mise-en-scene and lighting compensate and create a popular image for less talented acts. Our music video adheres to this theory as there are no people featured; it revolves around a single robot finding his feet in a new setting. We have replicated the band using further robots, this means the band will be known for the un-stereotypical video and the quality of the animation rather than the look of the band members and also the music becomes less prominent in the video; the action of the robots undermines this.
Music videos limit the audience's imaginationa and pin the lyrics down to a single meaning, whereas without the video, more diverse interpretations could be accessed by more types of audiences. By using a fantasy world and inanimate objects as characters, our film triggers the imagination and hacks into the childhood mind state in which their toys come to life (Toy Story being a prime example). This can appeal to everyone and create reminiscing thoughts. However, by using this strong idea it means the audience will struggle to create their own interpretation after watching the video.
Viral Videos
Viral Videos
Social impact
Internet celebrities
Video websites such as YouTube often create Internet celebrities, popular individuals who have attracted significant publicity in their home countries from their videos. These memes have come from many different backgrounds.
Geriatric1927, one of the most subscribed YouTube members, is an 80-year-old pensioner from England who gained widespread recognition within a week of making his debut on the site. For these users, Internet fame has had various unexpected effects. YouTube user and former receptionist Brooke Brodack has been signed by NBC's Carson Daly for an 18-month development contract. Another example is the uncovered fictional blog of lonelygirl15[citation needed], which was discovered to be the work of some film directors, starring New Zealand actress Jessica Rose.
Band and music promotion
YouTube has also become a means of promoting bands and their music.
In the same light, a video broadcasting the Free Hugs Campaign with accompanying music by the Sick Puppies led to instant fame for both the band and the campaign, with more campaigns taking place in different parts of the world. The main character of the video, Juan Mann, has also achieved recognition, being interviewed on Australian news programs and appearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show.
Whistleblowing
Viral video has become a way for people to air their grievances in instances of alleged abuses of authority. For example, in 2006, a courtroom video of Utah Third District Court judge Leslie A. Lewis spread rapidly through Utah and was picked up by the news media. The video showed her finding a courtroom spectator in contempt of court and arresting him because he left the courtroom while the judge expressed her displeasure at his brother's hunting activities. The judge recused herself from the case due to her professed bias against deer hunters. Lewis lost her retention vote in the 2007 election.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viral_video
This article shows how viral videos bring fame to many everyday people. However, it is not just something for amateurs; companies such as Sony BMG have their own official channel on YouTube and do not have official videos deleted off the site which are put on by everyday people. This is because, although Sony BMG makes no money directly, the videos are seen by many thousands of people creating free advertising for the artist and so the record label behind them. Similarly, many large companies use hyperlinks directing their audience to videos on sites such as YouTube, this is a cheap way of directing people to and advertising their official and unofficial videos. By directing audiences of their websites to YouTube, large companies are also directing them to paid adverts down the side of the page and on the screen, so, with very little cost
Social impact
Internet celebrities
Video websites such as YouTube often create Internet celebrities, popular individuals who have attracted significant publicity in their home countries from their videos. These memes have come from many different backgrounds.
Geriatric1927, one of the most subscribed YouTube members, is an 80-year-old pensioner from England who gained widespread recognition within a week of making his debut on the site. For these users, Internet fame has had various unexpected effects. YouTube user and former receptionist Brooke Brodack has been signed by NBC's Carson Daly for an 18-month development contract. Another example is the uncovered fictional blog of lonelygirl15[citation needed], which was discovered to be the work of some film directors, starring New Zealand actress Jessica Rose.
Band and music promotion
YouTube has also become a means of promoting bands and their music.
In the same light, a video broadcasting the Free Hugs Campaign with accompanying music by the Sick Puppies led to instant fame for both the band and the campaign, with more campaigns taking place in different parts of the world. The main character of the video, Juan Mann, has also achieved recognition, being interviewed on Australian news programs and appearing on The Oprah Winfrey Show.
Whistleblowing
Viral video has become a way for people to air their grievances in instances of alleged abuses of authority. For example, in 2006, a courtroom video of Utah Third District Court judge Leslie A. Lewis spread rapidly through Utah and was picked up by the news media. The video showed her finding a courtroom spectator in contempt of court and arresting him because he left the courtroom while the judge expressed her displeasure at his brother's hunting activities. The judge recused herself from the case due to her professed bias against deer hunters. Lewis lost her retention vote in the 2007 election.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viral_video
This article shows how viral videos bring fame to many everyday people. However, it is not just something for amateurs; companies such as Sony BMG have their own official channel on YouTube and do not have official videos deleted off the site which are put on by everyday people. This is because, although Sony BMG makes no money directly, the videos are seen by many thousands of people creating free advertising for the artist and so the record label behind them. Similarly, many large companies use hyperlinks directing their audience to videos on sites such as YouTube, this is a cheap way of directing people to and advertising their official and unofficial videos. By directing audiences of their websites to YouTube, large companies are also directing them to paid adverts down the side of the page and on the screen, so, with very little cost
Monday, 2 November 2009
Two Step Theory
We think our music video applies to the two step theory because although we have made the video, the distributors decide what is available to a large audience. For example, if we made a video that would only appeal to a niche market, the distributors may decide that they would not make enough money from its sale and so would chose a more mainstream video. This means that the information we inject into the video is monitored and censored.
The reason for making this video is to promote the band and increase income, therefore, for the video to be effective we have to make a mainstream video which would be accepted widely by distributors.
Media Theories
The Hypodermic Needle Model
This theory explains how mass audiences can be affected by a piece of media. It talks of how the audience can be of any intelligence, experience and opinion and still be affected and manipulated in the same way. An example of this is the two young boys who kidnapped a two year old, tortured him and left him for dead on railway tracks. As a result of this crime the game Man Hunt was recalled and banned by the government.
Although this theory dates back to the 1920’s and was first applied to the propaganda of the First World War, it is still relevant to today’s media proved by the example above.
No-one has control over what goes into their heads other than the producer, it is presumed that all of these messages are negative due to the initial connotations linked with propaganda of the First World War.
Our film could affect audiences in two ways. On one hand the film reflects positively as it is promoting music which is a positive social influence. A negative social influence is the way women are portrayed in the video, we have a women represented as a prostitute this could affect audiences negatively.
Two-Step Flow
This is similar to the Hypodermic Model in that the audience is passive, however, the Two-Step Flow addresses the moderation of “opinion leaders” meaning the text is not directed to the audience straight from the producer. It recognises the role of editors and the government in moderating the text before it is sent to the audience. It is also suggested that this is a more subtle approach to the bluntness of the Hypodermic Model. This was first thought in 1940 as a progression from the previous model.
Uses and Gratifications
This theory states that audiences use media texts for different reasons: diversion, personal relationships, personal identity and surveillance. This means the texts affect different people in different ways. Although what information they receive may differ, they all receive messages. This was brought about in the 1960’s and developed by Blulmer and Katz in 1974.
Reception Theory
In the '80's and '90's more research was done into how receive a text. It is thought that personal circumstances such as gender, class and age, affect how they interpret a text. This is based on Stuart Hall's encoding/decoding model; the producer encodes his ideas into a text and the audience decodes its meaning, however, each individual audience member will decode a different meaning. This is known as a preferred reading.
Tuesday, 13 October 2009
Initial Shot List - Here it Goes Again
| Section of song | Timeline (seconds) | Lyrics | Live Action-camera angles |
| Introduction | 00:00-00:07 | (instrumental) | Camera zooms out from a cog half concealed by another cog and another etc, as the camera zooms out, one by one the cogs creak and jerk to life. |
| 00:07-00:08 | (instrumental) | Jump to robots head the light on top of the robots head, it flickers to life. | |
| 00:08-00:10 | (instrumental) | Camera tilts down to its eyes, they slow light up/open up/swivel open. | |
| 00:10-00:12 | (instrumental) | POV shot camera focusing like the robot is coming around, resuming consciousness | |
| Verse | 00:12-00:17 | It could be ten, but then again, I can't remember half an hour since a quarter to four. | Sits up into shot, looking around confused, looking up and to the left as it works out what’s happened, looks down |
| 00:17-00:24 | Throw on your clothes, the second side of Surfer Rosa, and you leave me with my jaw on the floor. | Over the shoulder shot of the robot looking down and sees his jaw on the floor | |
| Close up of his head as he tilts in confusion | |||
| Worm’s eyes view of robot reaching out and picking up the jaw. | |||
| 00:24-00:28 | (instrumental) | Over the shoulder shot of robot looking at lights and flashes coming from around the corner | |
| Bridge | 00:28-00:31 | Just when you think you're in control | Medium shot of robot Crawling across the floor to the corner |
| 00:31-00:33 | just when you think you've got a hold | Close up shot of robot looking around corner into the camera | |
| 00:33-00:35 | just when you get on a roll, | POV to a zooming up the desk leg to the top where the band is playing as band characters rock out | |
| Chorus | 00:35-00:38 | here it goes, here it goes, here it goes again. | Medium up shot of the singer singing |
| 00:38-00:38 | (‘now’) | Close up shot of the guitarist saying ‘now…’ between ‘here it goes again’ and ‘oh, here it goes again.’ | |
| 00:38-00:40 | Oh, here it goes again | Close up shot of the drummer drumming | |
| 00:40-00:43 | I should have known, should have known, should have known again, | Medium up shot of the singer singing | |
| 00:43-00:43 | (‘now’) | Close up shot of the bassist saying ‘now…’ between ‘here it goes again’ and ‘oh, here it goes again.’ | |
| 00:43-00:45 | But here it goes again | | |
| 00:45-00:47 | (instrumental) | Close up of drummer and bass, racking the focus from the drummer to the bassist as the bassist looks up to the right into the room POV shot of woman marching towards them (no face shown in shot) | |
| 00:47-00:48 | Ah oh here it goes again | POV shot from one of the band members as a hand flies towards them in a low arc | |
| 00:48-00:50 | (instrumental) | Worms eye view of the hand swiping the stage off the desk and towards the floor | |
| 00:50-00:52 | (instrumental) | Medium tracking shot as the band members fall with the stage | |
| Verse | 00:52-00:53 | It starts out easy, something simple, something sleazy, something inching past the | Close up shot of robots face as he stares, his eyes widen, a shocked expression (focus on his eye brows for expression) |
| 00:53-00:55 | POV shot of the woman walking across the room, | ||
| 00:55-00:56 | edge of the reserve | Close up of the robot turning his head following the woman with his eyes | |
| 00:56-00:58 | (instrumental) | POV as the camera rises up as it tracks up her legs to her thigh | |
| 00:58-01:00 | Look through the lines of your cheap | Outside shot as window blinds are opened slightly, revealing the girls eye staring out of the window | |
| 01:00-01:03 | Venetian blinds your car is pulling off of the curb. | Medium shot of robot as he lets go of the corner, moving behind the corner | |
| 01:03-01:05 | (instrumental) hey | Close up shot of robots face as he turns his head right away from the camera | |
| 01:05-01:08 | (instrumental) | Close up of the robots face as he moves out of the shot, the woman behind him walking across the room | |
| Bridge | 01:08-01:10 | Just when you think your in control | POV shot towards a cupboard as light is coming from the cracks in the door hinges |
| 01:10-01:13 | Just when you think you’ve got a hold | Shot from inside the cupboard as the robot pulls the door open, as the robot is bathed in flashing lights and sound | |
| 01:13-01:14 | Just when you get on a roll | Over the shoulder shot of robot looking up as the door opens | |
| Chorus | 01:14-01:17 | Here it goes, here it goes, here it goes again | Close up of the singer with a microphone, stamping forwards towards the camera |
| 01:17-01:17 | (now) | Close up shot of the guitarist saying ‘now…’ between ‘here it goes again’ and ‘oh, here it goes again.’ | |
| 01:17-01:19 | Oh, here it goes again | Close up shot of the drummer drumming | |
| 01:19-01:22 | I should have known, should have known, should have known again, | Medium up shot of the singer singing | |
| 01:22-01:22 | (‘now’) | Close up shot of the bassist saying ‘now…’ between ‘here it goes again’ and ‘oh, here it goes again.’ | |
| 01:22-01:23 | But here it goes again | Close up shot of the singer singing to the camera | |
| 01:23-01:24 | Oh, hear it goes | Close up The singers head turns and the camera turns to see the guitarist | |
| 01:24-01:57 | Oh, hear it goes | Long shot of guitarist climbing into the back of a open top car whilst soloing, | |
| | Oh, here it goes again | Close up over the shoulder shot of singer as the bassist and drummer realise and rush out of the shot | |
| Solo | | (Midway through solo) Oh oh | Close up of the singer as he turns to see the woman coming towards them |
| | | | Close up shot of singers head as he turns head towards the car out of shot |
| | | | POV shot of the singer as the bassist and drummer jump into car sitting down, the guitarist is soloing |
| | | | Close up of guitarists face as he looks down at his hands |
| | | | Close up shot of the guitarists hands across guitar |
| | | | Medium shot of the guitarist looking back up out of the shot and starting to run |
| | | | Shot of girl getting closer |
| | | | Medium shot of the corner of the car as the singer jumps in and grabs the wheel |
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| | | | Medium shot of band members flying backwards as the car races off out of shot |
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