Dexter - Opening Scene - Creative Director Eric Anderson

I feel like this opening scene from America's hit TV series 'Dexter' has very good use of abstract, graphic matched mise-en-scene. This TV series is based around a sociopathic serial killer who works for Miami Metro as a Blood Spatter analyst. I felt like the creative director, Eric Anderson, did a good job at representing the protagonist's dark character through mundane situations such as getting up in the morning. The idea of being mundane is exactly what characteristics a sociopath is and from personally watching all of this series, it is evident that he (being a dark, twisted, shady character) fits in well with society but evidently has a dark secret.

“We then started examining normal everyday things that could be seen as horrific…. I believe the original idea was to have him do these normal things violently, but that soon became the idea of recontextualizing normal everyday things in a sinister way, kind of how crime scene photography does as I described earlier.” - Eric Anderson

This hit TV series has been criticised for its controversial ideolisation of a murderer. It has been said to be too graphic and therefore insensitive to more delicate viewers. However, this does not coinside with the Uses and Gratifications theory as it states that products of media are chosen to be consumed by the viewers and therefore, wouldn't be forced upon an audience. Therefore it would be up to the viewer on whether they thought it was controversial or not. Therefore this can be related to explicit music videos such as 'You don't know - Eminem' as this ideolises prison, crime, gangs and violence. However this type of content has a target audience and therefore would be at the discrimination of the audience/viewer. When applying this to my own music video, insensitive content or content that could be seen as controversial could be adapted as a video with a certain type of audience, not just age. Rap fans of Eminem are usually exposed to high explicit content and therefore it is not surprising when there is swearing or visual representations of violence as this follows the conventions of the urban rap genre. However, with my song being within the English Folk genre, it may break the conventions to input explicit, violent, slightly immoral scenes as it doesn't usually fit that genre.However, the surveillance model suggests that people have a gratifying need to know what's going on around them, therefore, Dexter is an example of showing this through entertainment. Therefore, when applying this to my own mise-en-scene, I can cleverly integrate mundane aspects such as getting up in the morning or going to bed, but in a more graphic narrative and subversive way.

Furthermore, the reception theory states that media texts are encoded with information for the reader to understand/work out. Therefore, for Eric Anderson's opening scene for Dexter, he wanted to portray mundane aspects in a violent way to show that Dexter is a normal person trying to fit into society with his dark, violent side. Therefore, for my video, I need to decide on a certain message,maybe moral, maybe controversial in the sense that it may not appeal to certain groups within society, but that is cleverly integrated within a social clique. In addition to this, Rick Altman states that an audience needs certain pleasures to encourage a strong audience response. Therefore, by having something very abstract and unlike modern conventions of the genre (drama series being about the 'bad guy -Dexter -  instead of solely focusing around the 'good guys' -police- it breaks social conventions) it may have the polar opposite of interest when intriguing the audience (English Folk fans and indie music) and therefore satisfying their needs to experience something in a safe  place. With this in mind, via researching artist Bill Viola, I can be influenced by some of his work and how he collaborates the human form with deadly things such as fire and drowning. Also, some of his work is very spiritual, for example 'Tristan' s ascension' - it is almost holy and has string religious connotation that I think would work quite well with a spiritual song such as Marika Hackman' s Drown. 

Research - Terrence Malick

Filming Inspiration from the philosophical film 'The Tree of Life' (2011) and based on a true story film 'Badlands' (1973)

Terrence Malick is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer who has directed six feature films. 

[ pending information]

Holi Festivals

Inspiration for my Music Video:

HOLI FESTIVALS

'Holi' is a yearly spring festival in India. It is also known as the festival of colours, or the festival of love. It is known as an ancient Hindu festival but has also become a popular celebration across the globe such as parts of Europe and North America, as a celebration of love, colours and frolic.

I am really warmed by the idea of using Holi Powder paint within my music video as I think there would be a contrast between filming in winter and not spring (where the festival is normally hosted.) Therefore, the bright colours of the Holi Powder would contrast with the grey tones of winter. This would make my video a lot more interesting - to see coloured smoke amidst a gloomy, dark atmosphere. There is something very chilling about that kind of mise-en-scene.

This screenshot is taken from the 'Tycho - See' music video. Here you can see a long-shot of a woman using this powder paint (Holi Festival paint) to create an almost psychedelic atmosphere/scene. The long-shot focuses a lot on the location and therefore reinforces the 'weird' contrast between the bright colours and the calm, natural tones of the forest.

This is another screen shot from the 'Tycho - See' music video. Here you can see a mid-shot of the woman, primarily focusing on the powder and the girl. In this shot she is spinning around - I think this is a really good idea when using Holi Powder Paint as the colours really stand out more when they are thrown instantly. Therefore, spinning creates this instantaneous affect.

In this shot, it focuses more on the form of the woman. Like I discussed with my chosen soundtrack, I want to focus on the human form and I think this is a really good representation as she is only wearing a plain white dress, no make-up and bare feet. It's all very natural and that makes the artificial aspect of the Holi powder paint more surreal and artistic.

Artist Research

Bill Viola 

Bill Viola is a contemporary video artist. His work relies on things such as sound, image technology and electronics. The art focuses around central themes of human experiences such as birth, death and consciousness. His videography also focuses around different tones such as light and dark, stressed and calm and loud and quiet. These aspects all collaborate to create a conceptual visual artwork.

TRISTAN'S ASCENSION

This is an example of Bill Viola's vivid artwork. These would be displayed in galleries on large canvases - colour and texture is key for his work. This video has almost religious imagery, it is like an ascension to God, the transition from life to death. I think his work is beautiful as it is so serene and transcendent. Light is a big part of his work and silhouettes focusing on the human form to create an almost godly, superior presence. It is also key to notice that the water is falling in reverse reinforcing that his work is very psychedelic. I would like to take inspiration from Vola's work as the ideologies of water and human form are the same.

'Bill Viola is an artist that developed a work that incites great metaphysical interrogations.'

ACCEPTANCE

This is another of his work. again, there is focus on the human form and of the element of water. This piece of work creates a beautiful light on a a women who is struggling against a constant flow of water. This water could represent the struggles within her own life. It is a very powerful video as we witness her not struggling anymore as the water's flow slows down.

I can apply this to my own video by using props such as a bucket of water to represent the drowning aspects within the song and from Bill Viola's representation. This could also lead on to different factors to do with nature and earth. This has inspired an idea to input every element (fire, water, air, earth) to coincide with the nature of the human form. This can also be very spiritual and could therefore present two sides to the abstract video. The mundane side and then synced with a more spiritual, atmospheric aura. I could also invoke a more literal meaning to my song and have my subject submerged in water.

My Genre and What Makes a Good Music Video

My Chosen Genre:

My chosen soundtrack has elements of English Folk music, therefore, my music video will not follow mainstream music video conventions and will follow the path of an independent label's music video. For example,

You can tell this is independently made due to the type of music (Indie rock) and also the use of live performance and hand-held camera work. In contrast to mainstream artists, hand-held cameras are not typically used and are usually filmed in studio locations (for example: Ariana Grande - Problem). There is also extensive use of props in mainstream music videos (things that are too expensive and corporate to be able to create with a low budget.) The use of live performance in this music videos tells me that, independent music videos focus aruond fan bases and promoting themselves. Whereas mainstream videos normally follow a narrative and not really any live performance.

I have chosen to create an independent-looking music video after I researched and talked to various other past A level students. One person I spoke to about their video was Euan Baker. His music video can be found here.

These are screenshots from a conversation we had whilst I was establishing ideas:

(Excuse the poor spelling mistakes)



What makes a good Indie music video? Conventions 

From doing some research on the web, I have been able to gather a range of information about genre conventions for individual music videos. This is what I have managed to depict.

• The video has to be unique in some way and not the cliché 'Boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love, he breaks her heart followed by long repetitive shots of each person solemnly walking in the countryside'. It has to be edgy, it has to be raw material that even if it isn't 100% original, it could be manipulated from something else.

• Do not take the lyrics into account at all times and like most mainstream music videos, don't use the lyrics and meaning literally at all times when shooting a scene or editing footage.

• A music video can be a form of expression, therefore, how you're feeling on a particular day could determine the outcome of that days shooting. Therefore, this can create different moods within the music video and can also bring it to a personal level. 

• I think you have to connect with the song and fully understand what it means to you as a person before you can leave it to visual interpretation for your audience. Say you feel sad when listening to a melancholy melody, this could be a different story to someone else. Therefore, with this in mind, in the grand scheme of things, it doesn't really matter how you portray the music video - just create it with good quality and interesting visuals. 

• I think by treating this project as a piece of art really helps as most directors of music videos go onto filming much wider and greater things and are known as artists within their own right. For me, I am creating a piece of art for the world to view and judge and create their own opinions about, and really, isn't that just what still-life art is anyway?

Cast and Analysis

Name: Erin Miller
Age: 17
Height: 5"7
Body Type: Slim
Relationship: Best Friend

I chose to use one main character in my video to again follow a simplistic, minimal theme. By having only one person starring in my video, I can focus a lot more on the surroundings, editing and visual effects. Instead of solely  focusing on different characters, there is going to be one main protagonist leading a visual story.

I chose Erin as my protagonist because she has light skin and dark hair. She wears minimal make-up and has dominant large brown eyes that  I believe will really capture the moody aspects of the song. As there will be no lip-sync, emotions can be conveyed through body language and facial expressions. Also, due to the actress being my friend, it means that the relationship between us both can be more relaxed, whereas if it was someone I'd met through an agency or through a friend, it may be awkward and uncomfortable when communicating. Also, there will be more days my actress can be available for, therefore, it benefits my filming time and the completion of my music video in the long run.

Audience Research - Questionnaire and Video Response to Song Choice

I have sent a survey to twelve people, along with my chosen soundtrack to listen to. The aim of this is to create a response/audience feedback to help me determine the best outcome for my music video. Therefore, this enables me to create a product that people will like. By appealing to an audience, it makes creating a music video easier as you can intertwine themes and ideologies directly from your target audience. I have also done a video response with my friend Jack Cracknell to expand my knowledge of my chosen target audience on a face-to-face basis.

Video sent with survey: www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YCjsmYIF-0

My survey: www.surveymonkey.com/s/2JC8ZP6

My one-to-one video response:

 

Pinterest, Mise-en-Scene Ideas

PINTEREST

I decided to set up a Pinterest account to document inspiration visual imagery.

How it works:

1. You put key words into the space bar at the top of the webpage and the website generates related images

2. You see an image you like and 'pin' it to your personal wall or homepage

3. You can go back and see what you have pinned at a later date whilst sifting through all of Pinterest's content

4. It's addictive because there are so many photos and videos and ideas.

From these couple of screenshots I can see that in each photo, it is either light or water-based footage with the odd exception. They are almost mystical and fairy-tale like which I think is a good aspect for an abstract music video if you're already thinking of possible collaborations from a few images on a screen. All the different colours (blues and greens.. etc) and cinematography positioning can be incorporated within my own video and Digipak at a later date. I specifically like the photo in which the girl's head is nearly surfacing the water but not quite, I like how you can see her expression and gather what emotion is evident in her face but cannot see the rest of her body or any kind of body language at all ; solely facial expression. I think facial expression can determine quite a lot of things when taking emotion into account, it says a lot about a person if their eyebrows are raised or if they're scowling - so as an audience, they would be able to gather the mood of the music video just from my actresses' facial expression (aside from the pace of the song).

Textual Analysis #2

Textual Analysis #2
Taylor Swift - Blank Space
Genre - Pop

This music video is based around the satire of the media and how they create a false image of Taylor Swift.

This is the music video followed by a textual analysis:

           

Lyric Analysis and Timing

Marika Hackman - Drown

[Verse 1]
Oh I am bold 0.29 - 0.32
As brass posing as gold 0.32 - 0.36
You can shine me all you want 0.37 - 0.40
But I am hard as I am cold 0.40 - 0.44
To know your faults 0.44 - 0.49
To know yourself 0.49 - 0.52
I suit me well 0.53 - 0.56

[Verse 2]
And I was born with a healthy appetite 1.05 - 1.11
For all that glisters 1.12 - 1.16
White and pure in the night 1.16 - 1.19
I had to find your words, your heart 1.20 - 1.27
Well, where can I start? 1.27 - 1.33

[Chorus]
Oh, to drown in your mind 1.39 - 1.49
I would, I know I would 1.50 - 1.54
To suffocate in your smoke 1.54 - 2.05
I'd choke on you if I could 2.06 - 2.10
Maybe I will 2.10 - 2.12

[Verse 3]
And if I'm rough 2.20 - 2.22
You'll course into my head 2.22 - 2.25
You can polish me for hours 2.28 - 2.30
But I'll always look best in your head 2.30 - 2.34
We wished for lakes 2.35 - 2.38
Been kissed by sun 2.38 - 2.41
We found not one 2.44 - 2.46
Hundreds, then some 2.50 - 2.54

[Chorus]
So, I'll drown in your mind 2.57 - 3.07
I will, I know I will 3.08 - 3.11
And suffocate in your smoke 3.13 - 3.23
Die stuffing my lungs with their fill 3.24 - 3.29

- To analyse this, I think you have to take into consideration both literal and metaphorical meanings. 

I feel as though it shines a light on drowning at the expense of someone else, maybe a lover, maybe a family member. Therefore, the lyric 'to drown in your mind' is a very literal representation of this idea. This soundtrack has a very solemn melody and one can easily be absorbed in the melancholic tone. However, another way the lyrics can be interpreted is if you look at it from the respect of being so absorbed in someones life, as if like you 'suffocate' in their presence or love someone so much its painful. However, the connotations of the end line 'Die stuffing my lungs with their fill' referencing the metaphorical 'smoke' (aura) of the person, suggests that maybe whoever it is, is dragging her down - just like smoking, damaging her lungs and airways. This could mean that the relationship is killing her slowly, which does not have romanticised connotations as the aforementioned. It also suggests finding ones self, such as the lyrics 'We wished for lakes, Been Kissed by sun, We found not one' that she looked for peace and serenity but found nothing and still is polluted by their presence 'I'll suffocate in your smoke'. To create my music video, having a personal understanding of the soundtrack means I can incorporate all the different meanings so my audience understand the visual alongside the non-digetic sound.

Marika Hackman - Drown

Marika Hackman - Drown

I recently came across this song and every time I listen to it, it gives me spinal shivers. I was sitting last Tuesday, listening to BBC Radio 6 when this song came on and I instantly had a connection and ideas for a finished music video.

This song follows the psychedelic, moody atmosphere and response I have been looking for. I think it is important to choose the right song song when creating a music video (almost artistic). It is like choosing the right coloured paint for a portrait or painting scenery. You have to get it right otherwise the two wouldn't contrast.

Therefore, with this in mind, I have chosen to change my song from 'Santigold - L.E.S. Artistes' as I feel I would benefit from creating a music video from this song instead. I aim to create a video that is fine art inspired and like the album art for this song, more impressionable.

Some Feedback From My Peers On The Soundtrack:

Lauren Schofield (A-Level Media, Sociology and History student): This song was really enjoyable. I love the serenity of the melody and the bass beat is really haunting. I think this song would be good for an abstract video as it is calming and would be interesting to use with animation or different 'weird' camera effects/edits. I think it is a new kind of sound that people would be interested in listening to because it is not heard often and is a slightly different take on the usual Indie music.

Erin Miller (A-Level English Language, History and Sociology student): I really liked this song as soon as I heard it because it made the hairs on my arms stand on edge.I think even if you didn't listen to the lyrics, the song is still beautiful and you can get lost in it. I feel as though this is a song you could listen to on repeat without getting bored of it and that is a good asset for creating a music video.

Narrative Analysis

Eminem - When I'm Gone

This music video has a very powerful and emotive audience response. Some Youtube responses on this video are 'Eminem inspired me' and 'Eminem's raps are so heartfelt and amazing'. But why do his video create such strong messages? What provokes the positive response Eminem gets from nearly every of his music videos?

Some comments on his music video are:
'Eminem's music makes me feel like I can accomplish anything.'
'Emotional song.'
'I love you eminem are the best father in the world!!'
'Powerful.'

• One reason would be that his style of music is evidently rap. Therefore, conventions of rap music is that it has a narrative or at least some sort of poetical meaning behind it. Therefore, it makes it easier when creating a music video because the visual imagery can be more realistic.
• This narrative-based video follows the lyrics all the way until the end. It is an exact representation   of the lyrics and even the lip-sync, at times, has direct correlation to a conversation between the artist and his daughter. 
• The purpose of this narrative is to emotively connect with his audience and explain that although music is a massive part of his life, he would put family first and his daughter before anyone or anything including his passion for rap. The mise-en-scene of costume suggests that he's not trying to impress the audience with expensive-looking attire, he prefers to wear a hoodie and jeans - casual clothing, making him seem like an everyday guy who has the same problems and struggles as everyone else. 
• This video can be related to the surveillance theory. The mise-en-scene in this video suggests (and also from lyric analysis) Eminem is expressing his worries and tribulations within a rehabilitation group (the video opens with a man standing at the podium telling the rest of the group about his problems.) The audience will like this extra narrative as it could relate to their own lives or make them feel sympathy. Therefore, being more compassionate for the characters within the music video. Within the mise-en-scene, there is flashbacks from when Eminem is rapping (expressing his feelings - which fans of him will know is the whole point of his music) to him speaking to his daughter. In this music video, he sings about getting rid of his alter-ego and putting family first before anyone else. Therefore, the audience will relate and it enables to bring the fame and fortune back to the same level as his fans. 
• This can be applied to Rick Altman's Emotional Response Theory. Eminem's video gives such a strong response due to the the emotional aspects such as including his daughter, his wife and presenting it in the way that he's sharing sensitive thoughts with the whole world. Also, as many people do not attend rehabilitation groups, so in this respect, the audience can experience it within a safe place. The audience will decide to consume this as the message is seen as close-to-home - contextual knowledge of Eminem is that he came from slums and made his musical career from raw material. Therefore, flashbacks involve the audience with his life and gives them exact representations about what he's singing about within a safe place.
• However, Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze Theory does not apply to this video as it is solely focused on a narrative about Eminem's feelings towards his family. It is focused on his daughter and wife - in an emotive, sensitive way. '
• Tim O'Sullivan (1999) says that media texts tell the audience some kind of story that can relate to our own lives. This therefore reinforces the music video's ideology on connecting with the audience through similar everyday issues (rehab groups, problems, worries, tribulations, family) all things in which an audience can relate to and feel compassionately about. 

Theories Useful for Creating a Music Video

These theories are all useful when researching how to produce my own music video:

• Things to put in a music video and things to not put into a music video

• What techniques are usually found within modern-day music videos

• How media is created for mass or niche audiences

• How stereotypes are used to portray characters within narrative-based music videos