Pitch and Pitch feedback

This is a video of my pitch for the song and video I wanted to produce for this project. I was rather nervous about doing this because I did not know what my peers would of thought of my awkward song choice. Even though I stuttered at points, I believe that I presented my idea very well.

This is a video of the feedback of my presentation. I believe the overall feedback was good as it gave me a range of both good and bad things about my idea to make it better. Some Strengths of my pitch that was brought up during the feedback was the representation of the actress I chose to be the singer in my video. I chose Alex who is a girl in my year. They all know of her as well and thought that her 'appearance' and 'reliability' was thought through very well. Another strength of my pitch was the narrative theme that I chose. In my pitch I displayed and described how I wanted a nature, alice in wonderland, fantasy feel to my video. Niraj said he liked the idea as it was 'different' and Kieran liked the contrast of the innocent girl and the dark surroundings that I wanted to portray in my video. They all felt that the themes were suitable for the age range I had chosen for my target audience. Some Weaknesses of my idea included the fact that my narrative was not 'engaging enough'. Ms Lownes said that my ideas was good however our aim is to create a music video that is unique and stands out so it gets lots of people talking about. However the thought of a video where a girl is just simply going through a forest is not engaging or unique enough to stand out above the music video competitors. Another weakness was the fact that my song was actually 5 minutes long which is rather long for a music video and the thought of seeing a girl in a forest for 5 minutes is quite mundane and monotonous. It would of been possible to ask for a radio edit however it would of just caused extra stress on top of my production. I also had to ensure that I did not make the video a pastiche where I copied Alice in wonderland. I only wanted to use the 'essence of innocence' as ms Lownes said. Some Improvements I tend to make with my idea is to maybe input a more engaging and interesting narrative where the actress is actually doing something rather than running about doing nothing.

I have chosen to work Kieran. We both had pitched different songs and ideas. We have agreed to work on his song choice because we believe it is the better idea where we can both integrate our ideas and display the best of our technical abilities. His song is called Acquired Taste by Ace and Pearl. The genre of music is Rnb/Hip Hop. We both know what we want to do and are always coming up with new, out of the box ideas. Some things that we have used from my pitch and idea is the actress 'Alex' that I intended to use for my idea. Pearl in Kieran's song choice has a very soulful yet timid voice which suits Alex's look almost perfectly. 

An example of a music video that we want Alex to sort of take ideas out of is:

We want Alex, the girl, to be mental. We both like the sort of crazy vibe Rihanna is giving off in this video. During the chorus, Rihanna's awkward angles and dance moves are sped up, this gives the look of a possessed, crazy girl which is somethings that would be good to recreate.


As well as the actress, we have also used the location of the forest/woods that I aimed to use in my idea too.

An example of a video that we believe that we want to take some ideas out of is: 

We both like this video in particular because in the 'forest' we want a running scene where our rapper 'Dominic' is running from the singer 'Alex' who is mental. In this video the protagonist is running in the forest, the type of shots such as close ups to her feet and her looking back would be something that we would like to recreate.


Even though both our songs have a different genre, I believe our ideas have complimented each other pretty well and I hope that we can get our ideas to practice in order to get the grade that we aim to achieve.

Music Video Pitch

Lyric Analysis: Amycanbe- Different

Lyrics

Act like you're different

Act like you're different oh please

Don't be a stranger now

Don't get too far from here

Act like a spider web

Act like a spider web for me

Show me the difference

Show me the difference oh please

Bring me some happiness

Bring me some happiness yeah you

I'll be your lioness

I'll be your lioness I'll do

(Instrumental)

No need for promises

No need for promises oh no

Show me the difference

Show me the difference oh please

Target Audience

Summary Of Song

From reading the lyrics there is not an exact meaning or narrative that you can get out of it, However when she sings it, you get the vibe as if she is singing this to someone. I believe that her aim in this song is to make her lover possesed under her power. She's asking them to 'act different, oh please' as if she is almost begging for them to act different. This quote suggests that she has some uneasy feelings towards whoever she is talking about as she is asking them to change. However it's almost as if during the song, the person she is talking seems agitated so Amycanbe sings 'Don't be a stranger' as if the person she was talking to was against her asking them to change. She then asks them for happiness and for them to show her the difference. This 'difference' is unknown to the listener as to what exactly this difference is. I believe though that this adds to the mystery and enigma of the song and makes it that bit more secret and personal for the artist which I love.

Analysis of Music and Tempo

The music is clearly indie which is a sub genre of rock. I know this because it includes acoustic instruments (a band) including a bass player, a drummer and a guitarist. The music itself is rather slow and gloomy. The dischord and high pitch guitar usage adds an eery, almost sinister feel to the song. The notes and instruments played are soft, yet when the instruments play together and increase in volume there are harsh connotations as it becomes more strong and less whispery. The snare on the drum is almost march like as if in war which also adds to the harshness (2.20). The singer sings at some points and then the band allows an instrumental to take place where the band plays (1.39). At this point you can hear every instrument. Usually with an indie band song you can expect the video to include shots of the band playing the instrument, however the mystery and enigma this video holds in this video doesn't require the artists at all. I believe that this type of song will only be complimented with the creation of a surrealist video.

How would I use the song in a video

The song itself is very slow and dark so in the video I aim to make it soft, slow and gloomy times that it is necessary. It changes constantly from harsh to soft and I will represent this through the weather and colours in my video.

Permission

My song Amycanbe- Different, was found on BeatPick which is a website that is part of the creative commons. 

Creative Commons are a non-profit organisation that allows people to download music that is copyright free. If I want to use this song I do not need to ask the artist for permission, however I do need to credit the creative commons website at the end of the music video. 

Narrative

Narrative Devices

Flash Forward- Skipping into the future.

Madonna- Papa Don't Preach

"Papa Don't Preach" is a song by American singer-songwriter Madonna in her third studio album True Blue. 

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(0.36)

This shot displays a flashback from Madonna singing "Papa I know you'r going to be upset" to a time when she was a young child spending time with her father. The effect this has is a warm, reminiscing effect. It allows the viewer to get to know the artist in a bit more depth as e are exposed to more rather than just the present.

Restricted Narrative- The audience are limited because they are only following things from a certain perspective.

Porter Robinson- Language

"Language" is Porter Robinsons second single he released and shot straight to no.1 in the UK and US.

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(0.12)

This shot includes the protagonist- main character running in a dark forest from a pack of wolves. The shots of this music video are mostly of her and are following her through her journey of escaping and discovering. This is seen as a restricted view because we are only seeing things in her view because we are following her journey. This effect allows the viewer to get to know the character better and understand their emotions to feel the music.

Pathetic Fallacy- Where the weather matches the mood of the narrative.


Micheal Jackson- Earth Song

"Earth Song" is the third single from Michael Jackson's album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book. 

(0.07)

In this shot the music is very slow, and soft so the weather is representing and emphasising it through the bright sun and the soft green leaves of the trees.

(5.01)

At this point in the music video, MJ is singing very loud and powerful, the music has sped up and he is almost shouting his words. The weather is bad, with gusty winds, dark clouds and thunder flashes. The weather is strong and powerful which represents MJ's words, voice and tempo of music.

Todorov

Todorov was a Bulgarian linguist publishing work on narrative since the 1960s.
Tzvetan Todorov suggested there were 5 stages to a narrative:

1. Equilibrium – A happy start
2. A disruption of this equilibrium by an event – A problem occurs
3. A realisation that a disruption has happened
4. An attempt to repair the damage of the disruption – the problem is solved
5. A restoration of the eqilibrium – A happy ending

She’s The One – Robbie Williams

1. Equilibrium – Shots of the ice skaters with their coach winning medals and smiling. The skaters in trainning. (0.03)
2. Disruption – The male skater falls over while they are practicing and injures his ankle so can not skate. (1.34)
3. Realisation –  The coach has memories of his first pair of skates and when he used to skate. He realises he may have to perform again. (1.52-2.18)
4. Attempt to repair the damage – The coach enters the competition and performs the routine with the female skater. (2.31)
5. Restoration of the equilibrium – The ice skaters get a high score from the judges. (5.01)

Mckee




Robert McKee has a simple 5 part structure for narratives:
1. Inciting incident
2. Progressive Complications
3. Crisis
4. Climax
5. Resolution



An example of a Music video is Beyonce- If I were a Boy

1)Inciting incident- There are doubts about faithfullness within their relationship, when Beyonce walks out in her uniform and doesn't show affection towards her man (0.39)

2)Progressive Complications- Beyonce is not picking up her mans calls because she is busy having fun drinking with another man (2.00).

3)Crisis- Beyonce is dancing with the other man infront of her boyfriend and when they confront, the boyfriend has literally seen enough and does not want to touch her (3.11)

4)Climax- At home they argue about the incident ad their faithfullness (3.36)

5)Resolution- At the end it twists so we realise that Beyonce played the part of her partner who was unfaithful to her. However even though they had just fought the previous night she still stays with him and acts like nothing has happened. (4.23)

Genre

What is Genre?

Genre is a critical tool that helps us study texts and audience responses to texts by dividing them into categories based on common elements.

Three Types of Genre

Clear Genre-

An example of a generic pop song and video would be Taylor Swift- 22

(0.46)

This shot is a long shot including a group of young girls dancing about childishly. The colour pink is displayed in the majority of this shot. This type of thing is generic of a pop video. They usually include people partying- however not doing anything THAT explicit like drinking and twerking which would be conventional of a hip hop artist. I believe that this is the case because the music genre of POP is specifically aimed for younger girls who should not really be shown such degrading things.

(0.09)

This shot is a close up of Taylor Swift. She is currently having girly time with her mates and in this shot is singing while attempting to eat cake. I chose this example as a generic thing to have in a pop video because it is common that in all pop videos, the singers always sing to the camera to make it look like they are singing to the viewer, which is a type of performance.

Hybrid Genre-

An example of a hybrid genre music video is- ''DJ Snake ft Lil' Jon- Turn Down For What''. This song is a hybrid of both Hip-Hop and Dance which is called 'Trap'.

Most trap beats do not really include either the DJ or the featuring artist in the video. This video itself is very weird and wacky. Trap is specifically aimed for teenage males so the videos tend to include a lot of crudity. 

(1.43)

In this shot this womans breasts are 'dancing' and moving to the beat of the song. This is something so weird and nonsense. It has nothing to do with the song however it is seen as something that is comical and it is something that young teens would find funny to watch. It is generic for a Trap music video to include some sort of obscenity and this screenshot displays it.

((0.36)

Another trend and convention that is generic of a Trap dance music video is to have a sort of club vibe towards the end where a group of people are dancing to the music with alcohol and girls dancing provocatively. Even this video is not a generic club scene video it still ends with a group of people dancing to the beat. The reason they include this type of thing is because Trap is a type of dance music that is played in clubs across the world.

Sub-Genre-

An example of of a sub-genre music video is "Peace- Follow Baby". The genre of music is Indie which is a sub genre of Rock.

(0.13)

Most Indie band rock groups tend to have a section of their video dedicated to the band performing with their instruments. I guess this allows the viewer to feel as if they are getting a one on one performance as well as gaining knowledge on what instruments the band members can play. 

(2.57)

Towards the end of an indie rock music video they tend to do this thing where the music and song has finished. However you would expect the video to stop, but in this case the band continue to move the rubble and mess they have created. In some other examples the band would be talking or celebrating that they finished shooting.

Generic Conventions

An example of a video with a clear genre is 'Juicy J- Low (Ft Nicki Minaj, Lil Bibby, Young Thug)' which is a Hip Hop song.

1)Typical Mise en scene style- 

(1.07)

The clear feature in this video is the costume. A generic outfit of a rapper in a hip hip video would include a big flashy gold chain, with baggy jeans and expensive trainers or 'creps'. In this video Juicy J dresses rather generically for what a rapper would dress like conventionally. This video also includes a whole lot of flashy expensive, pimped up cars which is also generic of a hip hop video.

2)Narrative Plots-

(0.26)

There are two types of Hip Hop videos. there are the good ones that have meaning and a good narrative that can be relatable, and there is another type of video which is the ones that have no meaning but just a whole lot of random people drinking, twerking, dancing and partying. This video is an example of the no meaning type of hip hop video. 

3)Typical Representations- 

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A typical representation that generally occurs in a hip hop music video would be the role of women dancing half naked. This representation is not necessarily a good one it is degrading to women and therefore does take a lot of criticism for displaying women as objects for sexual voyeurism. In this video, most shots always include half naked women.

4)Sound Design- 

(0.21)

Again there are two types of lyrics. One which tells a story about the rapper or a situation that can be relatable and there can also be lyrics about dirty nonsense such as sex, drinking and partying that make no sense and have no value. This video and song is an example of one that has no value about girls. In this specific screenshot the rapper is saying "Me Juicy J I get too many Hoes" which is rather obscene to say.

5)Typical editting styles-

(1.11)

This video tends to use a lot of quick abrupt cuts and transitions. I believe this is the case because he wants to portray a hard, aggressive, gangster look to make a stand and show that he has made it in the rap game.

Genre Themes

Sex-

(0.45)

His lyrics are "Laid her on the mic, menage with my model and her roommate, And if I tip a bitch, we fuckin', it ain't no discussion" These lyrics are the rapper talking about his sex life. This theme of sex is generic of a hip hop video in order to display their masculinity and power over women.

Partying-

(0.37)

This shot is of a group of random people dancing and drinking. In most Hip hop music videos this will occur. However if you compare this video to one like 'Ludacris- Runaway Love' there is nothing in similarity as it has a narrative about people going through problems. 

Money/Drugs-

(1.16)

In this shot, the hook of the song has started where another artist 'Young Thug' has started rapping "I get a brick, you know I get it for the, low" A brick is a pound or kilogram of any drug. Young Thug Gets his bricks of drugs for the lowest prices.

Audience- Passive and Active

Passive audiences are influenced by the text they are watching. This process is known as the Hypodermic needle. This type of audience is:

•         Easily Manipulated
•          Compliant
•          Weak Willed
•          Followers
•          Controlled
•          Dominated

Active audiences are people who are able to pick and choose what they are influenced by. These types of audiences watch videos for uses and gratifications that include:

•          Diversion and Escapism- being able to escape from the world they are living and see themselves in the fantasy world.
•          Personal Relationship- watching things as a talking point to talk to friends and family about.
•          Personal Identity- being able to relate to either the themes, people or story line in a text and being able to see themselves in it.
•          Surveillance- watching texts in order to gain knowledge and information on something.

Lily Allen - Hard Out Here (Controversial Video) 

When Lily Allen was shooting her video for "Hard Out Here". The trouble is, Lily probably didn't expect that her video would be chatted about for all the wrong reasons. "Hard Out Here" was immediately taken to task online and in the press for Lily's use of black dancers in the clip. The hip-hop video was slammed as racist, with Lily standing accused of using the dancers as props rather than as people. Meanwhile, the other stuff in the video that would normally be considered "edgy" (plastic surgery jokes, rude balloons) was quickly relegated to footnote status. Lily's certainly not the only pop star to get in hot water over issues of cultural insensitivity. 

An example of a music video that has many 'Uses and Gratifications' is Blurred Lines by Robin Thick ft T.I and Pharrel.

This music was in the news in a negative light for representing women in a bad way. This video is basically the three artists who are men parolling around the set with half naked women doing dirty and flirtatious things which are degrading in a woman's point of view. Many feminists fought against this especially because the artist had also created an x-rated version of the original video which included many crude shots of the women with no clothes on at all expect nude coloured pants to cover their Private parts. Many people watched this video because it was in the news which caused everyone to talk about it, so was used for personal relationships. Many men watched this for both Personal Identity and Escapism. Some men would see this as personal Identity because they may be the type of men who idolize women and are known to play around with them.  Some men would also see this as escapism as they  may enjoy the view of half naked women parolling around and may be wishing that they were actually there in that fantasy world.

Representation- Goodwin- Voyeurism

This is an image of my Frankenstein version of female singers. The face is Cassie from her music video named 'Long way to go', The breasts are from Katy Perry in her video 'California Gurls', The arms are Ariana Grande's from 'Problem', The hips are Nicki Minaj's from her video 'Anaconda' and the legs are Beyonce's from Single Ladies.


Goodwins Theory of Voyeurism-

He believes that there are 6 features on how to analyse a music video, These include:

1    The Music video demonstrates genre characteristics. For example having half naked girls dancing around a rapper in a Hip Hop Video.

2    That there is a relationship between lyrics and visuals

3    That there is a relationship between the music and visuals

4    The demands of the record label will include loads of close ups of the artist

5    There is a frequent reference of looking (screens, mirrors, and telescopes) and the treatment of the female body.

6    Often Intertextual references to either films, TV programmes or other music videos.

Representation- Robert Dyers Star Theory

Stars as Constructions- Cher Lloyd


Cher Lloyd participated in the 2010 (Seventh Series) of the X-Factor and came 4th. Ever since the show she has risen to fame with number one hits and is currently very big in the US. She is a very mouthy, childish, rebellious person, like any other teenage girl. Her fan base is teenage and younger girls. Her brand is entirely created by her record label Syco which is run by Simon Cowell.









Stars as Products- Little Mix

Little Mix also participated in the X-Factor show, however unlike Cher Lloyd, they won the 2011 series. They were the first ever girl group to win the show. At the time, in Britain and in the world there was a gap for a new, fresh and young girl group that girls could look up to. I believe that is the reason why this group won. Right now, they are very succesfull all over the world. They have grown up and are women who stand up for female independence. They are strong and beautiful so many girls look up to them.




Stars as Embodiments of Ideologies- John Lennon (The Beatles)


John Lennon was part of one of the biggest bands of all time 'The Beatles'. As well as being a band member, he is well known for his kind, charitable ways. All he wanted was peace and everyone liked him. Even to this day people still speak of him and his ways. The Beatles is an old band and I believe that they had more choice in what their brand was. As an individual he was a spiritual person.





Stars as Personalities- Lily Allen

Lily Allen rose to fame in 2002. Since then I believe she has remained consistent with her behavior. She always sung about the truth, her pet hates and the music industry. To this day she remains the same. Fame had not majorly effected her, as she came off the music scene to have a family. Her comeback song was a mock of the current music being played. Her brand is unique, she is a strong, rebellious woman who does not care of anyone's opinion.