I edited my video using Premiere Pro, and decided to screen record 3/4's of the process. The main focus of my video is to key out the white background using the colour key tool, as reflected in my questionnaire, I decided to continue with the clip that I shot in Shoot 1 as a baseline, due to subject being quite nervous in the beginning - almost emulating stage fright when singing Karaoke. The Background Gifs were all sourced from Tumblr after searching for the term 'vaporwave' as "it's essentially digital backgrounds that takes 80s synth classics and slows them down over unique beats and samples"(Davidson, 2016). I also increased the brightness and contrast of the footage used, using the Lumetri Colour tool, to enhance the makeup and facial features - comparable to bright vivid colours of David Bowie. The footage above follows the editing process. I could have been maticulous and used a green or a blue screen to film for my video, however, i purposefully wanted to create that rough edit/halo like effect around the subject - as it emulates the technology advances back in the 1980's. This is also the same reason why I decided to experiment with stock transitions, as in the 80's era of the music video, this resembles the experimentation of the new technology and effects of non-linear editing software.
Evaluation:
Overall, i'm extremely happy with how my final video turned out. I was aiming to follow elements of Andrew Goodwin's theory upon genre in Staged Performance and Conceptual/Experimental, whilst also considering the Diegesis theory from Carol Vernallis. I believe I articulated this well, using a staged performance but incorporating conceptual elements within post production, experimenting with vapourwave style backgrounds and stock transitions. Diegesis is then created also through the memorable backgrounds and transitions that play along to the beat. If i were to change anything, I would most likely incorporate different members, perhaps playing an instrument to add an element of variety. But, I believe that I have created a music video that emulates creativity, throughout various amounts of quantative and qualitative research and thorough planning.
Bibliography:
Joey Davidson, 6th October 2016, [online] - "Make your own aesthetic Vapourwave image whilst you listen to your favourite 80's hit" https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.technobuffalo.com/make-your-own-a-e-s-t-h-e-t-i-c-80s-image-while-you-listen-to-your-vaporwave%3famp
The gantt chart I have used above is something I have been developing as I went along this unit. every time I started a new element of my video I would colour code it orange, if I was finished, I would colour code it green. The patterns in this chart display I was starting out with an average of two posts attempted/completed a week. This then changes in Week 5, due to thorough planning of Shoot 1, making sure I am fully prepared, ensuring my subject is fully aware of health and safety guidelines (of the studio) and preparing contingencies. Due to this, there is an imbalance with 3 blog posts attempted in week 6, however, despite this occurance, it then balances out to the same pattern - conveying that my time management was thorough and correct - allowing my video to not be rushed in anyway shape or form. If for some reason I had left work to the last minute, I believe that the quality of my video would be poorer, resulting me in achieving a lower grade.
After my first shoot in the studio, I believe everything went as well as it could. However, there were a few faults that have impacted upon my final video.
My lighting set up, Key Light behind
camera, alongside two fill lights
opposing each other.
Starting on a positive of Shoot 1, the mid-close up shot came out almost perfectly. The lighting was a huge focus for this part of the shoot, so before Eve could make it to the studio, I used myself as a guide and did some trial shots. Essentially, I reversed the three point lighting set up; rather than the backlight being positioned behind the subject, I used this in front of the subject, allowing any shadows to be cast out, but also from a practicality standpoint, when the subject is moving, there is no glimpse of light that is shown on the camera.
The things that did go well included the mid-long shots/side angle shots I planned to shoot of the performer, revealing odd parts outside the 'green screen'. The issue was mainly technical, to ensure that my video was editable, I got Eve to move in front of the camera for approximately 10 seconds with a chosen lighting set up, after this, i would take the SD card out of the camera; put it in my mac and open Premiere and follow the steps quickly to key out the background. I ended up trying to film this for a good hour of the slot, and nothing was working, part of the background would key out, parts of it wouldn't, alongside parts of the subjects face also being keyed out accidentally. I, believe that this is due to two factors, the main one being the ultimate factor of filming on a white background opposing to green. This was a known factor, therefore i'm not surprised, due to white being a common colour, that can blend in with skin, unlike green which is used as "it doesn’t match any natural skin tone or hair color, meaning no part of an actor will be edited out through chroma key" (Keppler, 2016). Due to this, the next issue was lighting, as it was near enough impossible to cast out all shadows and achieve a perfect 'white', without lighting up my subject brighter than the background. Although, I purposely want my video to look unprofessional and undefined, If i used the footage that was shot today, I believe it would ruin the conceptual genre of my video.
I came out with only 1 successful run through throughout the whole song, which is okay, but I definitely need more in order to have variation in my clip.
GROUP CRITIQUE:
Report:
As I was struggling with ideas to help move forward with my video, I decided to edit what I had, and show some peers and ask for some advice on what they would want to see improve.
Date of Critique: Thursday 14th March 2019 - There were 5 peers, all aged 18-21 years of age.
To start with, I explained to my group my concept of post modernism and explained it as "a video made to look like it was made in the past, but was ultimately created in the present with modern technology", and my plans to achieve this in a hybrid genre format of 'Studio Performance' and 'Conceptual'. I informed my group that I also conducted a Questionnaire before to help inform me of ideas of potential genres and song choice, which was concluded to 'Blue' by Marina and the Diamonds. I ensured to explain to my group my vision clearly and asked if they had any questions on what I had said to cover bases for a more accurate conclusion on ideas.
Attached below is the clip I showed to my peers, as a base idea of what my video is going to 'become' - with the successful run-through keyed out to some 'vapourware' gif's I have found on the internet.
I also explained before hand with the clip that only one shot was successful, therefore it is a linear run-through of the same clip throughout.
After I played my initial 'draft', I asked -
1. Do you like what I have done so far, within my first shoot?
P1 - "I like it, although it seems very plain and not very exciting, despite the interesting background changes"
P2 - "I agree, I think it looks great so far, I understand it's a planned draft but it definitely needs some spicing up to merge the ideas together"
P3 - "Right now, I like where it is going, but I'm seeing a lack of the conceptual/experimentation genre.
P4 - "Wow, that looks so cool, I love the girls makeup and I love the dress, very vintage and it represents the song perfectly".
P5 - "I agree with the others, it's getting there and I can see visibly with the odd moments of the hair being blurred out how hard it is to film this, but the footage is a perfect marriage between a 'bad' video and an 'old 80s era' video. You just need some other elements".
2. To make up for any difficulties with filming different shot types, do you have any ideas on what you would want to see in the next shoot, as you know my concept and have seen my plan so far?
P1 - "It's unfortunate that you can't seem to film long shots and such, as you could have cut to them; but now I think you have to work with what you can do for definite, I would recommend you use some experimental zooming, zooming in and out of a mid frame, to allow the viewer to peek into the set, that would look cool and very stylistic".
P2 - "When you shoot tomorrow, shoot this same clip again to allow back ups, I think the current footage is okay, however, I think the performer is lacking some emotion, and I want to see something cheesy, thats very 80's!"
P3 - "Try the shot types again, and if you can't perfect it, then try some panning shots or different angles"
P4 - "Well I like it as it is, but I think some different variations of the clip will keep the viewer interested, as at times, I was waiting for a change, but nothing changed other than the background"
P5 - "Maybe experimentation of clothing could be an idea?, white clothing could be a cool idea as she would be blending into the background - when you edit it anyway"
3. As you can see, the editing needs some work, as it is a draft. Anything you would like to see in regards to specific techniques, effects etc?
P1 - "Add some VHS elements - like a filter maybe? If that looks too cluttered due to the gifs, try maybe just the play button or the date/time? things like that.
P2 - "I'm not too sure, but maybe brighten your subject up somehow in post production, like with that really colourful background that shows when the lyrics 'give me love, give me dreams' stars, I think that will be a cool change, due to the change in tempo in the song"
P3 - "I think you could use cool transitions in your editing to help with your concept, as P2 said, you got to make it cheesy, therefore, I would suggest you use really basic 'stock' transitions, like a slide in, it will all add up"
P4 - "On the Key tool in Premiere, you can actually edit which areas you want to protect from being part of the background, maybe use that to refine footage where possible that you plan to use".
P5 - "I agree with all the above, I can't add anything else really, maybe lyrics? It could simulate like a karaoke session, as P2 said in the 2nd question, the footage you've got is okay, but lacks emotion, maybe you can emulate this into them having fun as the song picks up pace. It will still fit with genre, and it will look cool, karaoke bars were big in the 80's.
4. Finally, do you think a secondary shoot, outside of the studio and in nature will work with my concept, like a love story for example?
P1 - "If i'm honest, I don't think that will work, as it will contrast too much with the conceptual/performance genre that you were going for."
P2 - "I mean it does sound good, but again, I don't think it will blend well with your concept"
P3 - "Stick with what you have got, as you don't want to clutter your video, it could confuse your viewers if you are using the conceptual/experimentation genre with a performance, outside of the studio."
P4 - "No, I agree with the others"
P5 - "If you can plan shoot and edit it in time, then yes, but otherwise, I would focus on your experimentation within your editing to add to the concept. Therefore creating a hybrid"
Findings & Review - MINI PLAN FOR SHOOT 2:
This group critique was done in order to come up with some new stimuli and techniques to carry on in shoot 2 with, alongside some editing ideas to help with the production of my music video. I think the results definitely helped with Qualitative research.
Question 1:
This helped me gain a lot of insight in regards to the plan I was going for, however 80% felt that "something was missing from the video", which could leave viewers a sense of discomfort. Another person commented that despite the colourful backgrounds "the video seems very plain". Although this question didn't offer any suggestions or anything explicit in regards of ideas, I believe this has helped inform that I should carry on with my current concept, with the same hybrid, but perhaps attempt different methods from the upcoming questions - allowing me to fit that missing piece to the puzzle.
Question 2:
I asked this question as a 'call for help' on ideas and I feel I have found some good ones in regards to Shoot 2. As one person said "I should work with what I can do", therefore I will reshoot the footage again but this time, as another person stated, "I should direct my subject to have more expression in performing, as it will make it cheesy - like the 80's". I think this is a good idea to work with. One person did state that I should experiment with clothing, however, I don't want to do this as I think if i do, it could cause some issues with colour keying as if the subject wears a white top, it can clash with the subjects facial colour/hair and increase risk. Finally, another person suggested that I "Experiment with zooms", I think this would be fun to play around with, even if the background does go back to white, with the keying out process, shows a home video/unprofessional vibe.
Question 3:
Example of the Key tool, this did not work successfully when tracking the subject.
Within editing, someone pointed out that there is a tool on Premiere within the Key tool that can be customised to not blend in the background - however, when trying this, I found that it doesn't track accurately and the shape I had customised was half way down the screen. Apart from this, other people suggested "some old stock style transitions as it would conform to the 'cheesiness' of the video" - I think this would be cool to experiment with, especially like a fade in/out and a slide, allowing the subject to be digitally 'moving'. I will also experiment with "brightening the subject and increasing the contrast on some upbeat parts" of the video as someone else said, allowing the footage to be variated and displaying the change in tempo visually - a sense of synaesthesia.
Question 4:
Everyone was in favour of me not doing any additional shooting outdoors, therefore I will not be as one person said that they "felt the video would be too cluttered and distracting for the viewer" and others saying "it would not blend well".
Overall, I think my construction of the Group Critique worked successfully, it allowed me to gain qualitative research for my next shoot and also any future editing techniques I could use in my final production. There was definitely room for improvement though, I feel if I would have asked more questions, in regards to specific areas of the video, I would have gotten detailed, more thorough answers, especially in conjunction to the song - but I'm happy with it as I got some valid research and new ideas that were needed to help pursue my music video.
Bibliography:
Nick Keppler, 21st January 2016, [online] Mental Floss, "Why Are Green Screens, Green?" http://mentalfloss.com/article/73988/why-are-green-screens-green
Listed below is all the equipment and props needed for my Music Video, alongside back ups and precautions taken to avoid any issues that can occur upon the day:
Technical Equipment:
- 2 Canon DSLR's. - Ensuring both camera batteries are fully charged to ensure that there will be no technical glitches occur in the shoot (i.e: battery dies, and we lose all footage shot).
- 2x 32GB SanDisk Ultra SD cards. - Making sure that both SD cards are Ultra write speeds, as the footage may not write to SD card on standard, and stop midway through/degrade quality. I will also ensure that the SD cards are fully clear, to ensure I will not run out of storage.
- 2x Tripod - Although I only need 1 tripod for my shoot, to ensure I don't recieve a faulty tripod, I will rent out two, asking the technician to check both are fully functional.
- MacBook Pro with Charger - This will be used to ensure that during test footage, everything is working okay, in regards to the Key Out tool on Premiere.
- Two Studio lights (alongside a third additional light) - This is to ensure that I have a lot of light, with minimal amounts of shadows.
Mise-en Scene & Props:
- Studio White Background.
- Subject (Eve Miller) - I have another friend, Charlotte Haile who is willing to help at any point, who has got availability on fridays, if Eve cannot make it/drop out.
- Schwarzkopf hair colour spray (Rose blush) - This will be used incase Eves hair colour blurs into the background when using the Key tool on Premiere.
- Tea Dress (size 16) - Outfit for MV.
- Morphe X palette - for blue shades of the eye makeup.
As discussed in previous posts, I will be taking inspiration to film my music video in the photography studio at college, with the white background being keyed out in post production, in order to achieve an imitation of a green screen. As learnt from my Green Screen Key test, there are things I can do to prepare for my shoot, in regards to equipment, set up and lighting.
Following from the questionnaire, it became apparent that the two most popular music video genre's were Experimental/Conceptual and Studio Performance. These, hopefully will be hybridised successfully following post production, but in this particular shoot, I will be focusing mainly upon the studio performance aspect. My friend, Eve Miller has agreed to partake in being the performer of the video.
Package received from Boohoo
with Tea Dress.
In terms of mise-en scene, I have ordered Eve a Tea Dress to wear for the shoot from Boohoo.com, this is because I wanted to go for a post modern approach, and boohoo does this with their dresses successfully "It's all about the vintage this season and we're loving the modern day revamp of the 'it' dress of the '30s and '40s" (Boohoo, 2019), even though not reminiscent of the early 80's music video era, I feel this would be an interesting play upon merging different era's together, some reminiscent of the 50's, some of the 80's, some of modern day technology, you see this in many videos that incorporate a post modern approach - see: Love - Lana Del Rey (smartphones used in video, alongside shots of a 60's Chevrolet, with futuristic settings). The tea dress I have ordered in particular is black, with white hearts - I chose black so it would oppose with the white background, but I wanted to purposely have white specs in the dress so when I key out the background, some of the hearts may key out too, giving it a purposeful glitch, a convention with post modern videos, as they can often replicate the early advances of green screen technology, with the result becoming mostly good, but not looking realistic.
Eve's make up look for the music
video.
Hair Colour Spray I purchased
to avoid Eve's hair being keyed
out in post production
In regards to hair and make up, Eve's hair will be let down, as she has a shoulder length bob. What has worried me is that because her hair colour has been bleached platinum blonde, it will interfere with the keying out process of the white background, causing issues for the final product. As me and Eve work at the same workplace, which doesn't allow 'extreme' hair colours, I decided to pick up a 'one wash' hair colour spray in the shade 'rose blush' by the brand Schwarzkopf, rather than dealing with the commitment of dying her hair fully, with the benefit of not having to worry about the post production aspect of the video. Within makeup, I have asked Eve to sport this Blue eyeshadow look that I saw from one of her social media posts; using the Morphe X palette, alongside a dark red lipstick. I decided to go with this look as of the song title itself, reinforcing the blue connotations to sadness - especially around her eyes; the red lipstick will connote towards the bittersweet melody of the song, with its upbeat tempo and sultry lyrics "give me love give me dreams" whilst speaking from sadness with "give me a good self esteem".
Within Camera and Lighting, I will be shooting with two camera set ups. One of these will be handheld filming mid-close up shots of the performer, whilst the other will be stationary, on a tripod filming mid-long shots. The lighting will be the trickiest part to this as I need to ensure there is minimal to no shadows, therefore, I will be using the two main studio lights alongside a secondary portable studio light, all within a 1.5 metre distance to ensure the subject isn't over exposed. With this in mind, I don't believe I will need to use a majorly high ISO as I did in my Key Test (which was 3200), I will experiment on the day to see what will work. I plan to shoot 25fps, therefore my shutter speed will need to be 1/50. The aperture on the stationary camera will be F16, where as, the handheld camera will be F4/8, dependent on what works on the day.
We have booked the studio on Friday 8th March, from 12:15pm - 16:15pm, giving us 4 hours to prepare and shoot the music video. We have also booked an additional three hours the following week (Friday 15th March, 12:15pm - 15:15pm) to gather any additional shots that we may require.
In regards to health and safety, I have sent Eve a link to my health and safety in the Studio blogpost, as she is not a photography/media/film student; therefore she is aware on the rules and safety precautions that need to be taken in the environment.
I used Survey Monkey to create a questionnaire which will be available to people by the use of a computer/smartphone. I sent this link to my personal Facebook (which has family members and friends) to gain a wide demographic of people; I wanted my questionnaire to not be biased in any shape or form, main priority being age group/upbringing/location etc. After two weeks of the post being published, I received 14 responses - that have been taken seriously upon completion (I deleted certain responses which were proven irrelevant/immature).
I based my survey upon my previous ideas of post modernism, and how music videos made in the past decade have been influenced/recreational of older technological advances. This being: green screens, experimental footage, older VHS filters etc. I also based my survey upon the two song choices I have been batting between; 'Blue' and 'Handmade Heaven' by Marina - I presented this in two different questions, one offering Synaesthesia as a research method for myself and the other being 'Do you like this song, and do you prefer it to the other & why?'. Questions also included was music video genre preference, music genre preference, preferable source of music video and preference on editing techniques; to see what an audience would typically like to see and find visually pleasing in ones chosen music video.
Screenshots of all data recorded will be presented in bar charts/A selection of written results - from the 'Analyse Results' tool on Survey Monkey.
Q1.
To help guide the genre of my music video set up, I asked the recipient to choose their favourite genre of music video. I followed Andrew Goodwin's 'Dancing in the Distraction Factory' research to conclude a list of genres, alongside an other option if the consumer believes there is a different anotherThis chart tells us that 50% of people prefer a conceptual/experimental approach to music videos, whilst 40-45% prefer a studio performance. From this, I have decided that a hybrid of the two genres would be the best way forward as it satisfies both audiences, near to no other genres was voted therefore were not considered.
Q2.
The music genre that is most preferable as shown from my research is Alternative, with R&B as a close second, tieing in with other - the genre mentioned within this was either Rap or Metal. This supports my current research as both of the Marina songs are 'Alternative Pop'. This question was pretty much irrelevant to my research as I had song choices in mind, however, I can say this has reassured my song idea, rather than having to oppose and change song genre.
Q3.
This question was added to my research out of curiosity for the music industry. As it is known that "MTV will forever be synonymous with the pop music scene of the 1980s and 1990s" (Cawley, 2015). The chart conveys the reinforcement that music videos are streamed nowadays on sites/apps such as YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music etc, opposing to the 1/10 that still seek videos from music channels. I believe part of this shift is due to the technological progression we have had from the 80's to now and also the idea that MTV does not continuously play music videos anymore "MTV isn’t keen on playing music videos these days" (Cawley, 2015). This question again was irrelevent to my research as I would be posting my video on a streaming service anyhow, I feel if I were to ask this question, I would ask the question in what content in the video would entice you to watch it on a particular platform.
Q4.
All of my responses were in favour of postmodern music videos which supports my concept, including "I like the vintage style because it gives the video a timeless appearance" and "yes because it looks pretty and brings back the way videos used to look", however, due to Postmodernism being such a wide definition, I feel that this question could have been difficult for an average consumer to understand, even though I briefly explained it. If I were to ask this question again, I would ask a consumer to watch a specific music video with the 'post modern style' i want, tell me what they thought of it, and if they liked the style. Q5.
I asked viewers - blindly, to participate in an exercise of Synaesthesia, to allow various ideas to be presented for a final project, someone quotes "psychodelic colours" which sounds like a cool idea, I could use this as a background perhaps in post production, if I use a green screen. Another person stated "floating motion comes to mind", which could be an experimental concept that I can experiment with in filming/editing, creating a fluidity. I chose the song 'Blue' by Marina as that is the song I was leaning towards doing, however, later on in the questionnaire I did discuss 'Handmade Heaven'. Q6.
Editing techniques can be used in conjunction, however, I didn't want to confuse the recipient when asking this question. Editing to the beat is the most favourable editing technique, which I plan to use; otherwise, this could be too displeasing to the viewer of my MV. 20% of people like Digitised Effects/Green Screen Technology in music videos, therefore, as it is the second most popular option, I will consider using this in my own, due to the relevance of my previous research. The only problem with this question in particular would be the lack of multiple choice and the fact that the consumer might not understand what certain editing techniques are.
Q6.
I linked the song 'Handmade Heaven' as I wanted to see whether the recipients of the questionnaire preferred this to Blue. Although some said they liked the song, most preferred Blue, due "to it's opposing lyrics" to the beat (presumable meaning of response) and that there is "more visual stimuli to be offered" - I will take that judgment, as myself, even with my moodboards, was struggling with ideas for that particular song - especially differentiating to the original MV. This question has consolidated the idea of continuing with Blue as my music video.
Q7.
This question was more or so to help gain quantative/qualitative research. I wanted to see the relation of the consumers favourite music video, and how it relates to that particular song; 'What makes it memorable?'. One person said Beach House - Lemon Glow as they "liked the experimental approach to the visuals" which helps me with the experimental genre. This question in particular did not help me with any decision making in regards to the song I plan to choose/genre but in more visual conventions. I can watch some of these videos and maybe gain visual stimuli.
Pro's and Con's to the questionnaire:
I believe this questionnaire was definitely helpful in the decisions I couldn't make for myself, regarding song choices, video genre etc. It also allowed me to gain a lot of quantative and qualitative research from consumers. However, there were a few cons. Originally the questionnaire had 17 responses, but the responses were given were not serious and immature, which didn't help with my research. Another con was the lack of multiple choice on the website, despite clicking this option when setting up the questionnaire - I do not know whether this feature was genuinely lacking on the site, or whether it's myself not setting up correctly - this may have impacted my results as recipients may have been torn between 2/3 options.
Bibliography:
Christian Cawley, May 17th 2015, [online] MUO: Make Use Of 'From MTV to YouTube: A brief history of Music Videos. https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/mtv-youtube-brief-history-music-videos/
I've decided to narrow down my potential list of songs to 'Blue' - Marina and the Diamonds and 'Handmade Heaven' - Marina. The reason I have done this is that I feel both songs offer two different approaches towards the 'postmodern' approach I am aiming for; I feel Blue can be hybridise the studio performance genre with experimental - using bright colours, where as, I visualise the song 'Handmade Heaven' to use the conceptual approach, with more dull, muted colours - leading to bright, more vivid colours. I feel the songs also are different in terms of their tempo, rhythm and overall instrumentation - compared to some of the other potential songs which can be visualised similarly, due to the lyrics and instrumentation. I am going to include these two songs within my questionnaire to help gain quantative research on which the public prefers and why.
After spending some time researching into the various genres and styles of music videos, I have concluded I wanted to continue upon the postmodern route. I want to be able to recreate a music video that is purposely, but effectively conveyed as 'dated', with genre and other elements influenced by upcoming qualitative & quantitave research. I have selected a few songs that I would like to experiment these conventions with, as I feel they offer some stimuli/synaesthesia, in conjunction to lyrics.
((Moodboards for songs will be in a separate blog post, this is just general ideas and brief analysis))
Smallpools - Over and Over.
I discovered this song on a Spotify playlist a few years ago, I, instantly enjoyed the song for it's major key and uplifting vibe. The pauses in the pre-chorus give me instant ideas for different jump cuts used for like a montage/narrative based video, based on living 'free'. Focusing upon the lyrics, "I want to feel this night over and over", I feel the narrative could insinuate over a period of time, whether it be friends, family or relationship that is conveyed to the viewer - the lyrics offer a vague, but perceptive approach. As this song hasn't got a music video, I have more creative imagination to play around with.
Marina and the Diamonds - Blue.
Blue is off Marina's 3rd Album 'Froot'. I chose this song purely due to the similarity of some songs I have analysed within my research, the striking one was 'Girl of the Year' by Allie X, which was discussed within my blog post talking about Postmodernism. The two songs both discuss the idea of female fragility whilst in belief of the idea that love will solve their problems "Give me one more night, one last goodbye" - a lyric from 'Blue'. Due to the similarity of the songs, I would like to reiterate the genre (in reference to Andrew Goodwin) and conform to the Studio Performance genre, using a green screen and having the 'artist' perform the song. Hybridisation with other genre's will be considered after research has been completed.
Lana Del Rey - Get Free.
Off the bat, Lana Del Rey has always been in the back of my mind when it comes to artists who tend to incorporate concepts and methods, especially due to most of her collaborations with Anthony Mandler as her directer on most of her music videos; which coincidentally incorporates postmodern approaches. In terms of music video, I would like to ideally hybridise the studio performance genre with experimentation as I could play off the repeated lyrics "out of the black, into the blue".
Ariana Grande - Ghostin.
Ariana Grande was definitely not an artist I was considering when looking at postmodernism, due to her upbeat music off her previous 4 albums, with no correlation between retro and R&B, I felt that if I were to pass the postmodernist approach with any of her music, in terms of experimental/contradictory, it would be simply unsuccessful, and be displeasing for even active audiences. However, when saying this, within her latest album titled 'thank u next', I found this song immediately from the first listen, reminiscent of an old disney film introduction. With its minor key and the deep lyrics of a satirical relationship, I believe this song would be fun to experiment with, hybridising the Studio performance genre with the Narrative; "He just comes to visit me when i'm dreaming every now and then", paints a picture and opens an interpretation of a passed love one, which could be portrayed as memories through an 'old vhs tape'.
Marina - Handmade Heaven.
Another potential Marina song, due to its slow yet upbeat rhythm. The lyrics detail a story about being at peace with nature and the world around us - this gives me (in terms of synaesthesia) visuals of plants, blue skies with the lack of technology. I would definitely take more of a conceptual approach with this song, with constant symbolism with nature - to ode to either love, religion etc.
To define 'Postmodernism' - "Postmodernism can be seen as a reaction against the ideas and values of modernism, as well as a description of the period that followed modernism's dominance in cultural theory and practice in the early and middle decades of the twentieth century. The term is associated with scepticism, irony and philosophical critiques of the concepts of universal truths and objective reality."(TATE, 2019). I, personally believe that postmodernism is widely used within music videos, due to the imitation of older performance videos, camera techniques and editing.
Within the past thirty years, we have seen a dramatic difference within the music video industry - videos have developed from live performances to various genres - as discussed in Andrew Goodwin's theory. Videos from the 90's to the early 00's focus upon the idea of futurism, by using high end equipment to showcase the future, "chances are at least one of them will have a slick, sci-fi aesthetic" (Hall, 2016). However, we see that now, that artists and directors want to in-vision the past "The 1980s was the golden age of music video. MTV was brand-new, there were no rules, and video directors dreamed in neon...None of the videos below — were shot during the '80s. They're all post-2000."(Parker, 2015).
There are many examples of this, however, one I have most notable found is within the 'Studio Performance' genre. Artists and directors are using Green Screen technology, with old style 4:3 format, to replicate a 'futuristic' viewpoint that was seen in the 80's, compared to traditional performance videos. This is a prime example of post-modernism.
An example of this is the 2018 single 'Girl of the Year' by Allie X. The video, directed by John Smith features the artist performing the song, alongside the band. The band and Allie X are filmed in front of a green screen which has a moving image set as the background during post-production/editing - what also conforms with the idea of vintage/analogue/retro footage is that the green screen has not been precisely 'keyed out', leaving a green blur radiant around the subject, particularly the performer (Allie X) when she moves with the microphone (shown on right). I believe that the camera set up is using three different cameras, one handheld, one on a tripod on a 45 degree angle and one with a wide angle lens to view the entire band. Although it can be believable that this video was released back in the 80's, there are elements of contradiction within this music video which allow viewers to believe otherwise. The video has a laptop within the shot, which distinguishes the video is not from the era & the fashion could be said to be more millenial due to the blue jeans of the drummer, hairstyles, etc. I believe that Smith decided to do this as part of a concept/experiment, to explore the idea of 'Analog Videos' and how the old can be viewed as an archived memory etc - "your most cherished family memories are stored away on old VHS tapes" (Komando, 2016).
Bibliography:
Hall, Jake - 18th February 2016, [online] Dazed: 'How a sci-fi music video obsession gripped the 90's' https://www.dazeddigital.com/music/article/29875/1/how-a-sci-fi-music-video-obsession-gripped-the-90s
Komando, Kim - 2nd September 2016, [online] USA Today: '3 easy ways to modernize your old videotapes' https://eu.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/komando/2016/09/02/digitizing-video-tapes/89551880/
Parker, Lyndsey - 21st April 2015, [online] Yahoo Entertainment: '19 Great 1980s Music Videos Not Actually From the 1980s' https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/bp/18-great--80s-music-videos-not-actually-from-the--80s-225139186.html?guccounter=1
tate.org.uk - Accessed 12th February 2019, [online] 'Postmodernism - Art Term' https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/p/postmodernism
Carol Vernallis explores and identifies editing techniques within her 2001 academic work 'The Kindest Cut' which explores the variable methods found between film/music video editing. She discusses the role of editing in narrative meaning and continuity the way sound and image are synchronised through editing, the impact of star image, the constant close ups of the artist in music videos and how editing reflects the music as a whole.
Carol Vernallis theory can be divided into four main categories, that she believes are the most important concepts that all relate to the way in which the music was originally produced.
- Narrative
- Editing
- Camera movement and framing
- Diegesis
Narrative:
The music video is a visual response to the narrative, meaning that whatever we see on the screen reflects the lyrics of the overall song. However, the narrative can be left incomplete; this allows the music video to be left open to the audiences own interpretation. Music videos usually have a subject driving it forward however it doesn't always have to be the narrative, it could potentially be the music or editing.
0.34 "She will rip you shirt, within a second", visuals
corresponding with the lyrics.
1.51, visual of boy running away from the 'psycho';
wearing a wedding dress and holding an axe
In 2018, Ava Max released the music video for the song "Sweet but Psycho", directed by Shomi Patwary, which continues to follow the narrative of the song, about a girl who is described as "sweet but a psycho" due to her actions described as "she will rip your shirt, within a second"- this is visually supported with Ava ripping a shirt in conjuction to the lyrics. The video follows the storyline of a girl who invites a boy who she likes round for dinner, but ultimately he declines her affection, leaving her to go to extreme measures to keep the boy in her 'possession'. The visuals support the lyrics with a number of clips, including a dutch angle shot of the boy running down the stairs away from her, who is wearing a wedding dress and holding an axe. The narrative is left incomplete in a sense, as the final few shots convey the male discovering his dead body in the closet, alongside parellel editing of Ava pouring gasoline on the floor, then preceding to light a match. This supports Carol Vernallis' theory of Narrative.
Editing:
A convention of music video editing is the ideology that it can disturb or even break conventions of continuative editing. Editing and post production can become a vital part of the music video and even be foreground and the basis of the video itself, before any narrative - which diverts from the bounds of continuative editing. Vernallis claims that a music video edit has 4 different identifiable themes and conventions, these are:
- Jump cuts
- Breaking the 30 degree rule
- Cutting to lyrics or the beat of the music
- Juxtaposed frames
0:31 secs, a cut on the beat/lyric.
1min, 8 secs - Nancys hands used to frame the performers
In the 2018 song 'BBoom BBoom' by Korean girl group MOMOLAND. The editing in this video resembles the different identifiable themes and conventions of Carol Vernallis'. Examples leading of this instantly is cutting to lyrics or the beat of the song. We see this in the verse when the member Ahin is singing her part of the song, the background cuts to a different shot of them doing the same choreography, starting off at yellow, cutting to blue (0:31 secs+) There is also juxtaposed framing within the music video, as at 1min 8 secs, Nancys hands are shaped together as a heart, then are zoomed in to frame the girls performing the chorus. Jump cuts are also seen throughout this video, with a secondary narrative of an imitation of what looks like a 'late-night' shopping channel.
Camera movement and framing:
Carol Vernallis' suggests that "establishing shots are one of the main elements in a music video" (2013), and are frequently used along with close ups of the subject. Vernallis also said that music videos use a lot of master shots also called extreme shots. The camera can also move in time with the lyrics or the beat of the song. The style of framing in music videos are also quite distinctive depending upon the genre of the music video.
1min 54 secs - ELS/Establishing shot of Taylor running
from the wolves on a mountain.
1min 56 secs - following ELS, a close up shot of Taylor
lipsyncing, whilst running "are we in the clear"
In the 2015 music video for 'Out of the Woods' by Taylor Swift, directed by Joseph Khan, features a range of establishing shots of various locations, from a place isolated in snow, a woods, a forest fire and a beach. The specific example I chose as my example is the Mountains location, where Taylor is shown to be running away from wolves that are chasing her. There is an extreme long shot of the scene, with the wolves visually after Taylor as she is running. This is then followed by a close up shot of Taylor from the side, lipsyncing. This is a clear example of Vernallis' analysis of music videos, as it follows this pattern, whilst also holding distinctive framing techniques of particular shots - in conjunction to following the narrative of Taylor running away from the wolves. This is used throughout the rest of the video in the variety of locations used.
Diegesis:
Diegesis in media terminology is essentially 'the world of music videos'. Carol Vernallis explains in her academic studies that the actions in the video will not always be comparative and can be left un-finished. This essentially means that there could be a lot of repetition of shots and certain frames can seem more distinguished and important than others, which is all down to the way they are shot/framed in post production.
1min 19secs - One of many clips of Ariana on the stairwell,
with visible view to the world behind her.
3mins 9 secs - Ariana taking off her face, whilst
sitting on the ceiling.
In the 2018 music video for 'no tears left to cry' by Ariana Grande, directed by Dave Meyers, relies mainly on post production in order to portray its visuals. The video features a perception of the world in a square like shape, often shown in numerous shots. One notably repeated throughout the video is Ariana lipsyncing the lyrics on a stairwell, the shots are filmed in various types, some being long shots, some short shots, and some from various angles. This is most memorable and differs from other music videos as it offers an insight into a different reality, where the laws of gravity change - This theme is carried on throughout the video, however, visually seeing the skyline (or should i say skylines) in different variations can be deemed exciting for the viewer. Another shot that seems to stick out in this video is a shot of Ariana physically taking off her face and placing it on the ground, this is very unusual and can be memorable for the viewer - it is worth noting she is sitting on the ceiling in this scene.
Bibliography:
Carol Vernallis (2013) YouTube Music Video, and the New Digital Cinema, 198 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, Page 10.
After years spent analysing various music videos from its origin of the 60's to the early 90's, Andrew Goodwin constructed a list of key features that can be applied to all music videos, Goodwin believes that all music videos possess one of these traits, if not, more.
A relation between lyric and visuals:
Goodwin believes that in some cases, the visuals will correspond with the lyrics heard in the song. There are three main approaches in which, this can be done: Illustrating, Amplifying & Contradicting.
Illustrating:
An illustrative music video will convey to the viewer the story behind the lyrics spoken in 'said' song. This can also include the lyrics being shown on the screen or lip syncing.
0:20secs, visual from the lyric "Oh my god! Look at his face,
you look like my next mistake"
1min 24 secs, visual from the lyric "I've got a blank space baby
and i'll write your name"
A prime example of this being used is the Blank Space music video by Taylor Swift (directed by Joseph Khan) released in late 2014. The song explores the ideology of Taylor Swift's meta-narrative, constructed by the media's portrayal - a serial dater/psychopath. Khan constructs this through illustration from beginning to end, with lyrics corresponding from "oh my god! look at his face, you look like my next mistake" with a close-up shot of the subjects face and "I've got a blank space baby, and I'll write your name", with a mid-close up shot of Taylor carving "SEAN <3 TAYLOR" into a tree. The overall music video/song recieved mostly positive responses, although some negative due to the reaction Taylor had to the media "“Half the people got the joke, half the people really think that I was like really owning the fact that I’m a psychopath… I have no complaints to how things turned out.”(Taylor Swift, 2017).
Amplified:
An amplified view in a music video 'stresses' the lyrics out further, whether in a metaphorical or literal approach, an example being if the lyrics of a song stated "I closed my eyes", the screen would perhaps fade to black rather than visually showing a person closing their eyes, offering an amplified perspective.
1min, 2 secs, visuals from the lyric "Cause baby you're
a Firework".
2mins, 6 secs, visuals from the lyric
"Ignite the light and let it shine"
Katy Perry's 'Firework' released in 2010, directed by Dave Myers uses an amplified approach into representing the aspirational message that Katy puts across within the lyrics, suggestive of the idea that we're all fireworks and we all have a spark inside us "I really believe in people and I believe that people have a spark to be a firework"(Katy Perry, 2010). This is put across in the visuals corresponding with the lyrics "Cause baby you're a firework, come and show them what you're worth/come and let your colours burst", with mid shots of people in the chorus including Katy Perry herself. The lyrics "ignite the light and let it shine" does the same, but this time with a woman giving birth, giving birth to a 'spark'. The video amplifies the idea as a whole of us having a spark, visualising the idea that we are a firework and have the power to shine in the future.
Contradicting:
A method used of representing the relationship between the visuals and the lyrics is the use of the visuals opposing the lyrics in the shots, creating a visual in which can be viewed metaphorically/actively.
0:29 secs, visuals from the lyric "I was in the winter of my life"
6 mins 31 secs, visuals from the lyric "I'm trying hard not to get
into trouble"
In the 2012 music video 'Ride' by Lana Del Rey (directed by Anthony Mandler), Mandler directs the storyline of a woman who is living a 'care free' lifestyle; "the perspective of a character who stumbled across a disconcerting alternate meaning of true freedom"(Baltin, 2012). However, they decide to contradict the lyrics of the song in numeral amount of ways. An example is from the very beginning, in the monologue. Lana speaks the words "I was in the winter of my life", however, in the clips, she is shown to be riding on a tyre swing in the middle of the desert. I, believe that Mandler decided to do this in the monologue to portray the emotion felt by Lana's character, how she could be in a warm place, yet feel so miserable. Another example of contradictory used in the video is within the chorus of the song, Lana sings the line "I'm trying hard not to get into trouble", yet she is smoking a cigarette outside a gas station, right as a fuel cargo pulls in. Obviously, this is an extremely dangerous act and she could have died on set if the props were real, therefore, this enforces the carefree message of the video, whilst contradicting the lyrics of the music video.
GENRE EXISTS:
Goodwin discovered during his research that music videos demonstrate genre characteristics, this isn't just subject to the song but also the genre of the video itself. Goodwin subjected these to five different 'genres':
- Stadium Performance
- Studio Performance
- Narrative
- Location
- Conceptual/Experimental
As the Stadium/Studio Performance genres are self explanatory, I will only provide examples for the other three.
Narrative:
Narrative based music videos can follow a storyline of sorts, whether loosely or closely related to the song, but allowing a deeper meaning towards the song. The music video can either follow to a passive or active audience, keeping its meaning vague or clear.
Screenshot from 3:21
Screenshot from 6:41, a recreation of the JFK assassination
In the music video 'National Anthem' by Lana Del Rey (directed by Anthony Mandler), Mandler and Del Rey follow the narrative of the love life of John F Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy, up to the point of JFK's assassination in 1964, with Lana Del Rey playing Jackie and A$AP Rocky playing JFK. As this narrative recreates everything, including the death scene, Mandler has said in an MTV interview that "It was never about re-creating a death scene, it was always about the person sitting next to him," he continued. "It was always about seeing it through her eyes, seeing this kind of castle crumble in the moment, and that shot where she's coming up out of the car, and the pain in her eyes, that destruction, it's like the whole castle is crumbling around her. That's what we were going for." as it follows the perception of Jackie. It is worth noting that Lana reads out a monologue at the end of the of the song, in conjunction of the shots of JFK being assassinated, it turns out that she was reiterating a letter that Jackie wrote about JFK, about their love. I believe this was done to really portray how Jackie really felt, how her whole world was completely torn after the death of her husband.
Location:
This is when a music video is filmed in a particular location that can be identifiable by the viewer, using props and particular iconography. This is a concept that can be used to draw in passive viewers.
Taylor Swift in Tokyo, preceding an overlay on video stating
she is in 'TOKYO'
In the music video 'End Game' by Taylor Swift ft. Ed Sheeran and Future (directed by Joseph Khan), Taylor Swift is shown to be in three iconic cities around the world. There is no clear concept towards this; it leans towards a performance based music video. However, Khan uses shots from all over the world in order alongside bold writing stating the location, in order to capture passive viewers attention and to help them relate to the location. The places filmed are Miami, Tokyo and London.
Conceptual/Experimental:
These music videos break regular conventions of music videos; with directors allowing unconventional methods to present visuals to viewers.
1:13, A shot of kids holding up the moon, whilst perceived
to be top of a mountain.
The music video 'Brazil' by Declan McKenna, follows from the "catchy indie-Britpop song with political, and even religious, undertones. Its lyrics critcise FIFA for awarding the 2014 World Cup to Brazil while ignoring the poverty and inequality in the country"(Fernandez, 2017). The music video can be perceived in a variety of ways, however, as the video doesn't follow a particular narrative/storyline, it is widely experimental due to the overuse of digital effects and use of green screen. I believe this was done in such a way to articulate McKenna's opinion of Brazil, that he believes the countries mindset and FIFA avoiding the important issues of homelessness, drug problems etc is a distorted perception. There are many reasons why the video follows the experimental genre, but one could be that the song itself is not confirmative of a genre and slots into Indie/Alternative.
Artist Close-Up
Goodwin expressed that a key feature of music videos is several close ups of the artist. This is due to the record companies requirement that the artist is strongly featured within the music video. Some artist will often develop motifs that reoccur across multiple videos
This includes:
- Artistic branding
- Celebrity culture
- Artistic portrayal
- Implications on looking good
This can be perceived in near all videos embedded in this blogpost.
Looking and Voyeurism
Goodwin also identified that within music videos that there is a concept of voyeurism. This is basically means the audience see something that they would or should not usually see.
This could be in the form of:
- Nudity/near nudity/revealing clothes
- exhibition
- an intimate location e.g. bedroom
- frame within a frame
The 'male gaze' is often used to attract a male audience. The male gaze is a focus on presenting things that appeal to men. This often means a voyeuristic view of, and an objectification, of women, The emphasis on looking also includes the artist looking directly into the camera helping the audience connect with the artist.
2:03, Grande looking into the camera, whilst showing off
her figure.
In the music video 'Love Me Harder' by Ariana Grande ft. The Weeknd, sexualisation is clearly defined through Ariana Grande in this video, and can be highly linked through the male gaze, as she is shown to be wearing revealing clothing and the camera is often shown to pan from her body to her face."In their traditional exhibitionist role women are simultaneously looked at and displayed, with their appearance coded for strong visual and erotic impact so that they can be said to connote to-be-looked-at-ness.” (Mulvey, 1989). The male gaze allows viewers to 'peak' in from a heterosexual males perspective, in order to either to gain satisfaction or desire.
Intertextuality
There can be intertextual references to numerous things in music videos like:
- other music videos
- films
- tv programmes
This can be homage (kind reference), pastiche (sarcastic but not a parody, which is usually mocking) or even use some type of brand synergy.
Scene from 'The Princess Diaries'
TWICE'S Recreation of the
scene.
In the music video 'What is Love?' by TWICE, The video recreates many films that belong to the romantic genre, the video focuses upon the girls choosing what film they want to watch on TV, seeing clips from some iconic movies, including: The Princess Diaries, Pulp Fiction, La La Land and Romeo and Juliet, the list goes on. The concept explores the idea that the girls are looking for the love that is found within these movies, but have yet to find it.
COUNTER-ARGUMENTS TO THE THEORY:
Although Goodwin seems to check all boxes in terms of his theory, there are still a couple of boxes that can see his theory as becoming 'outdated'.
Genre: Vertical Video
Vertical video's allow the performer to introduce a music video in a more intimate 'phone friendly' setting. This can variate in certain genres, however, I believe personally this wouldn't clash under the genre of a studio performance as in the examples above, the settings are much more intimate, especially in Taylor Swift's 'Delicate'. I believe this is simply due to the development of Vertical videos being introduced in 2012 onwards, due to the evolution of smartphones, not that Goodwin missed this when studying his theory.
Male Gaze: Voyeurism (Westernised Culture vs. The rest of the world)
I believe that due to Goodwin growing up in a westernised society, he has become custom to looking and voyeurism in westernised cinema/music videos. However, if we look at east-asian culture, for example Korean pop, we don't see sexualisation being used as an act to draw viewers in. If we look at MOMOLAND's debut single, 'Jjan! Koong! Kwang!', we see not one shot of the girls being used for sexualisation, despite being new to the industry, and needing to leave an impression upon the viewers. It is clear, rather than relying on Mulvey's 'Male Gaze', the group and east Asia rely on 'cute' concepts, such as the girls being dressed in dresses and outfits that are similar to school uniforms - the opposite of Sexualisation and revealing clothing.
Bibliography:
Anthony Mandler, 27th June 2012, [online] MTV News, 'Exclusive: Lana Del Rey's National Anthem director tells all' by James Montgomery http://www.mtv.com/news/1688562/exclusive-lana-del-reys-national-anthem-director-tells-all/
Jiselle Fernandez, 14th April 2017, [online], KFog, 'Declan McKenna Releases Music Video for Brazil' http://www.kfog.com/2017/04/14/declan-mckenna-releases-music-video-for-brazil/
Katy Perry, 11th September 2010, [online] MTV News, 'Katy Perry Reveals Inspiration behind Firework' by James Montgomery http://www.mtv.com/news/1651895/katy-perry-reveals-inspiration-behind-firework/
Laura Mulvey, (1989) “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema.” Film Theory and Criticism
Steve Baltin, 12th October 2012, [online] Rolling Stone, 'Lana Del Rey Frolics With Bikers in Ride' https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/lana-del-rey-frolics-with-bikers-in-ride-63911/
Taylor Swift, 24th August 2017, [online] NME Blog, 'Taylor Swift explained to us the story and misconceptions of Blank Space" https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/taylor-swift-explained-to-us-the-story-and-misconceptions-of-blank-space-14783
