Lyrics Annotation

Song Details

Technical Tutorials

Roles

Planning - Initial Ideas

Audience Research

Advertisement Research

Record Label research

Good life recordings - Good Life Recordings is a record label based in Belgium. The label specializes in hardcore bands as it was founded by the lead vocalist 'Edward Verhaeghe' from Nations on Fire. It was founded in 1996 and it has released many highly significant bands of the second and third wave of hardcore, as well as the majority of the signed bands that are part of H8000. Between 2000 and 2003 Good Life made a deal with Trustkill Records to release limited Picture discs and compilations of some of its bands. Bands signed with the label at the moment are A Traitor Like Judas, Angel Crew,As We Fight, Congress.

Another label that deals with Rock is Hopeless Records. It is an independent record label founded in 1993 which is located in Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California. The other genres of music they use are punk rock, pop punk, post-hardcore, or alternative rock, but some also include elements of various genres of metal. The label was founded by Louis Posen. Bands signed to this label are Thrice, Anarbor, All Time Low, There For Tomorrow, and The Human Abstract.




The major record company that deals with some Rock music is Warner music group. It is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies. Warner Music is one of the major companys that cannot trace its ancestry to either Columbia Phonograph Company or Berliner Gramophone. The roots back date to the founding of Warner Bros many years ago. The headquaters for the company is in New York, United States. It includes bands like Aveneged Sevenfolds, The Darkness, and DevilDriver

3 CD Covers - Rock

As Blood Runs Black
This CD cover is for my chosen genre. There is an extreme long shot of men standing with their backs to the camera looking at the moon which is central in the photo. This creates a dark, on egde feeling as we are not able to see their faces and their bodies are only black silhouettes. The main colours used are black and green and the title is in a green colour with a black outline. The title 'As Blood Runs Black' which is at the top of the cover, looks as though it has been scratched in as it is very messy but sharp. You can also see in the mens hands that they are holding which what looks like axes and shuvels which gives of the idea of a murder or something dangerous as it is also set in the middle of the night as their is a bright, white full moon.




Bring me the Horizon
This is another CD cover for my chosen genre. This is different from the one above however it still sticks to the same obvious conventions. It is very wierd as it is a mid shot of a young girl looking with wide open eyes directly at the camera which creates an uncomfortable connection with the audience. She is also holding someones bloody intestines in her hands which is very wierd. She has no facial expression and her makeup is pale which portrays the idea of 'death'. She is wearing a black dress but isnt portrayed as a 'pretty going out' dress as she also has bold red blood splatters up her arms. This again gives the sence of evil like the cover above with the idea of murder, and, blood. The background is white which makes your eyes concentrate mainly on her.



We are the ocean
This CD cover is different from the other two. It is more like a cartoon drawing than a taken photograph. It is again set at night time with the dark blue sky with 6 yellow hot air balloons in the sky. Their is a light house in the background which sets the scene of 'the sea'. At the front left there is a large drawing of a women with very long green hair. The long hair represents the genre as most of the members within the 'Rock' bands have long hair. The hair also blends in with the title 'We are the ocean' which is to the left of the cover. The font is very swirely and thin like the womens hair. Green, black and a little bit of white are the colours mainly used again.


From these 3 CD covers it is clear to see that they are all very different however use the obvious same conventions as each other such as colour and people. All the models used within the frames hae blank facial expressions and are portrated as dark. They use mainly dark colours and backgrounds and are even set at night time.

Rock Video Analysis

Evenessences - Bring Me To Life
The video starts with a strong wind sound and a soft tempo when a girl begins to sing. It is set at night time and the music becomes stronger when we see the girl falling out the window which instantly makes the 'rock' genre recognisable. There is alot of fast jump cuts that make the song faster and stronger. You then hear the male sing. He sings with a band who are also playing instruments which aredrums and electric guitars. The whole story line represents a 'death' feeling as the female lead singer jumps out a window in a nightgown with her long black hair blowing in the wind behind her. The cold, misty, windy night also creates a dark atmosphere for the video. The camera tracks out at the end to an extreme long shot to show the old, tall, crusty building.

30 Seconds To Mars - Kings and Queens
The video starts with an establishing shot of the orange sunset with the band members all standing there but you can only see them as black silhouettes. This also creates a night scene which you then see throughout the video. There are many close ups of the lead singers singing to the camera which creates a connection with the audience. A sort of story used throughout is loads of people riding bikes somewhere wearing very abstract things such as gas marks. The musics beat then cuts of when someone on the bike gets hit by a car in slow motion. The band then use an abstract idea of a horse running in slow motion towards the camera. They use a live audience of loads of people in the background for a certain part of the song of all the people riding the bikes.

Bullet For My Valentine - The Last Fight
The video again is set in a dark scene. It starts with an extreme close up of the band members eyes which creates an instant connection with the audience which also makes you feel on edge and easy. It has many whip pans as the song is very fast and loud aswell. It has many close ups of the electric guitars and the band members head banging and jumping around. The basic story line is of a fight and you see many close ups of the mens hands, face, mouth and other body parts of them sweating. The story is in slow motion which shows the difference between the narrative and the band members.

Conventions of Rock music videos

Hard Rock/Heavy metal have many obvious conventions which are;
-Play instruments (guitar/drums)
-Have a main singer (quite screamy)
-Music is very loud/fast
-Colours are dark (black/red)
-Band members are very 'head banging'
-The band members have long hair which swoops across their face
-Main singer will come very close to the camera
-Fire/darkness is associated in the videos
-The narrative is still usually involving a 'love story' or affair

Conventions of a Music Video

Even though all music videos are different, they all tend to use the same conventions which are;
- Fast paced cuts
- Cutaways
- Bands
- Instruments and close up of the instruments
- Dancing as a group
- Lipsynching (The most essential thing)
- Singing to the camera to show emotion
- Close ups of the lead singer and see most of them
- Random storys
- Slow motion and Speed ups
- Fades/Pans/Tracking shots
- Extreme long shots to show the band or a dance together
- Jump cuts

Mood Board - HardRock/Heavy Metal

This mood board for our chosen genre shows that the genre consists of bands and males. The colours are mainly black and red to represent evil and the devil. It shows the bands instruments that are drums and electric guitars. The band members mainly have long, dark hair and wear dark colours. They also have lots of tatoos and the music is played on Kerrang Radio.

Goodwins Theory

Andrew Goodwin identified three different approaches to the structure of a music video according to the relationship between the sound and the image. He claims that a good music video is ; A clip that responds to the pleasure of the music, and in which that clip makes the music visual, either in new ways or ways in wich accentuate excisting visual associations.


Illustration:
The music always cuts on the beat (rhythm)
The images will illustrate the literal meaning of the lyrics often with the band singing and dancing.
The band image will be how you expect it according to the genre; such as dancing, singing and playing instruments.


Amplification:
The music cuts on the beat but can cut off beat to emphasis features
The lyrics will not always represent an obvious image but may use a narrative that would not necessarily be picked up from reading the lyrics alone.
The band take on fictional characters in the video's narrative and do not represent themselves. E.G: The main singer being in love in the music video story


Dis-juncture:
Music cuts off beat. Sometimes (but not always) this could be seen as badly edited video so must be done so that it fits to that band image.
The video will show images that do not relate to the lyrics, sometimes this is used by bands who are already well established who can afford to take the risk for their 'image'
The band take on an image that is nothing like or the complete opposite of the expected image. E.G: the lead singer of Texas that dresses up as Elvis.
Disjuncture goes agaisnt the 'norm' and have an established fan based that can afford to take a big risk to create a mass 'abstract image'

Vernalli's Theory

Vernallis theory:
The kindest cuts, functions and meanings in music video editing. She talks about the difference between pop videos and Hollywood Editing

Pop videos:

Uses continuity editing in small sections but also uses disequilibruim/counterpoint
Rules of continuety are purposely broke. Eg: 180 degree rule.
Uses lots of motion, E.G. Dolly, tracking, and jump cuts
They are normally very dynamic.
Uses lots of angles and graphic matches
Close ups are essential within pop videos.

However Hollywood use many different techniques:

Hollywood:

Mostly uses continuity editing throughout which makes sure they follows rules such as the 180 degree rule.
Uses graphic matches, match on action and shot reverse shots to make the story clear
Motion is used but only when needed to create a mood or atmosphere because to much motion is undesierable
Uses lots of angles but they have a specific meaning to them unlike music videos

Bullet For My Valentine - Tears Don't Fall

Camera:
Mid shots and long shots used to create an easy 'breakup' story line
Handheld, Fast, Jolty camera movements when the beat is very fast
Camera pans around the lead singer
Extreme long shot shows the whole band together
Close up of the bands faces
Camera in an out of focus when its raining - makes it blurry
Extreme close up to show the Dial sign on car being 'Empty' of petrol/ lighter flame
Shot through a window to show them through the back of the car

Editing:
Fast paced cuts from each shot which matches the beat
Jotly camera movements to match the beat
Speed up shots
Slowed down intimate sex scenes/when the girls chucking oil because shes upset which creates the emotion
Lots of jump cuts used

Mise-en-scene:
Story line between girl and boy and boy leaves girl for another girl
Set in the day so uses natural lighting for the story
Band playing set in a black room, black backscreen
Boy and girl dresses casually for story line whereas band members dressed in black
Band members have long hair - sets the genre

Sound:
Song 'Tears Don't Fall'

Performance:
Lipynching to the camera - the band together
Performing the story between boy and girl - creates emotion

Kings Of Leon - On Call

Camera:
Close up of peoples feet walking past to begin (Black boots, white background)
Close up of the bands faces and instrument playing
Tracking out from close up of singer to show the whole band in the frame
Mid Shots of members playing the guitar/drums
Low angle looking up at the drumer playing - gives him status
Main focus on main singer
Whip pan from each band member to the next

Editing
Shots are quite long and in the same place
Camera tracks alot up and down the band members to the instruments
Fade in of the band in an extreme long shot
Speed up the clouds and the background
White lights coming of the guitar to match the tempo

Mise-en-scene
Band members all wear black (Jeans and t-shirts) and have long dark hair to instantly represent their genre
Set in the same place throughout with a green screen behind changing the scene and time of day for the performance
White screen used (normal lighting)
Lighting goes up and down on the band

Sound:
The song 'On Call' by the band

Performance:
Lipsynching to the camera - shows emotion
Playing the drums/guitars as a band - shows them together

MGMT - Electric Feel

Camera:
Establishing shot of the red sky
Long shot of lead singer walking through the forest
Camera tracks the lead singer around and shows the other people involved
High angle shot to show everyone dancing in the forest
Close ups of lip synching
Extreme long shot of girls dancing
Extreme close ups of the moon in space

Mise-en-scene:
The band members all have long dark hair
They boys are all wearing shorts and vests
The girls are wearing dresses with their hair down
It is set in a sunny 'hippey' looking forest
The main colours are green orange and black
Set in the day time and then goes onto night time

Editing:
The camera mainly cuts quickly between shots (fast cuts)
There is a lot of fading between shots to keep the on-going feel
The camera speeds up alot to skip parts
There is bright white lighting effect to create the 'universe' setting
Some shots are quite long with the slow pace of the music

Sound:
The song plays throughout,'Eletric Feel'

Performance:
Lip-Synching from the band members
Dancing casually in the forest in a group creates a relaxed mood
Quite energetic
People playing basic instruments
Skips from day to night time throughout the song

Bordwell + Thompson - Let Forever Be (The Chemical Brothers)

Low Budjet Music Video - Trencher

Low Budjet Music Video - Hifana

Roll Deep - Good Times (Top 40)

Lady GaGa - Alajandro (Top 40)

Famous - Scouting For Girls (Top 40)

MoodBoard - Gangsta Rap

I decided to create my mood board on the genre of gansta rap. I found that this genre focus's on the idea of rapping rather than singing. The artists tend to be black rappers such as 50 Cent and 2pac however some rappers such as eminem aren't. They tend to come across quite tough and their facial expresseion can be quite thretening to the audience. They tend to dress in black clothing which either shows of their muscels or tend to wear baggy hoddies and trousers that hide themselves from the world. Their accessories are lots of big 'bling' such as big dollar neckalces made of diamonds and big diamond studs earings, they also like to wear hats and trainers. They tend to rap about life and hard times. The lighting tends to be low key which creates the mysterious feel for the audience and the dangerous effect.

Brief

A promotion package for the release of an album, to include a music promo video, together with two of the following three options
- a cover for its release as part of a digipak (CD/DVD package)
- a magazine advertisement for the digipak (CD/DVD package)