Coursework task 'Pitch'

During the planning of my Music Video pitch I have had to take many things into account. 

• Which band/s I shall be putting forward. 
• What genre they are. 
• An overview of who they are and what they have achieved. 
• Codes and conventions of the genre I have selected.
• Run through ideas for the vid.
• Who would be the target audience. 
• What resources would I need. 

At the moment I am currently stuck between two bands:

1. The Swing Movement - Keep It Red
2. Elvis Presley - A Little Less Conversation

Rough ideas:

The Swing Movement: They are a four piece indie/alternative band from Bradford. The bass player of the band is my brother, Joe Gamble, which means I can easily get band footage of them playing. This makes it a lot easier to achieve my idea. I would want a mix of narrative and live performances of the them. 

Elvis Presley: Elvis is one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. The video I plan on using has already been used for an advert before, I would take this idea and play around with it. I would get a range of footage of people playing football, a lot of different shots. I am yet to think of something else to go with this idea, but hopefully something good will be with it, hopefully a live performance of my friend playing Elvis. 

Vodcast group work

We are working in groups to make a vodcast comparing three different music videos. We tried selecting a variety of different videos and genres. Sophie has chosen to do 'Brittany Spears-Womanizer,' with her being a solo artist and a pop singer we thought this would be good to compare. Katie has chosen to do 'Arctic Monkeys-When the sun goes down.' This video has a strong narrative, and with it being a four piece indie band, this is a complete contrast to Brittany Spears. Finally I chose to do 'Wolfmother-Dimension.' This is because they are a 3 piece rock/indie band but, in their music video it is just the band on show, no narrative. We will be posting a vodcast on our comparisons after analysing them all. 

'Vevo revolutionary'

Vevo is a company that works closely with the famous website 'youtube' to help promote music videos. It was launched in 2009 with the backing of three major companies; Sony music, Universal music and EMI. The main reason for the creation of this company was because global CD sales fell by $1.5bn last year.  Rio Caraeff, the creator a Vevo, claims "if MTV was doing a great job paying royalties, if Youtube [was], there would have been no need for Vevo." 


The idea of Vevo is that people worldwide can access music videos on the internet free of charge, it is funded by advertising. 


http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011/sep/11/rio-caraeff-vevo

Music Video deconstruction 1

Band: The National
Song: Fake Empire
Director: Scott Cudmore
Year: 2008
Genre: Indie Rock
Audience: 25-34

"Fake Empire" is a song by Brooklyn-based indie rock band The National from their fourth studio album, Boxer. The song was released in June 2008 as the album's third and final single... Source: Wikipedia

• This video is filmed and edit very differently to a traditional music video. It is mix of random shots of different scenarios, filmed on what appears to be old footage. 
• You can tell through a lack of poor quality, and there is a slight black border surrounding the image with rugged ends.
• All the shots at first seem to be filmed with shadows across the faces of all the people in it. This creates a dark and mysterious/hidden affect for the viewer. This fits in well with the slow beat of the soundtrack. 
• Non of the band appear in this video.
• At 1.44min' we get a female lip sinking to the lyrics, half of her face is in the dark. This singing lasts for 12seconds' which is a very long time for a single shot to be kept on screen in a music video. We see a repetition of this. This is a close-up shot. 
• At 1.58mins' we then see a clown lip sinking with his head sideways to the camera. The colour remains dark. This last a further 13seconds's. This is also a close-up shot. 
• Finally, we see another women lip sinking facing the camera. This lasts for a further 8seconds' till 2.19mins'. This is a close-up of her head. 
• The image colouring then changes and becomes lighter. It is as if at the start of the video it is night, and then as the song picks up pace it becomes happier and more colourful. This could signify that dark colours represent dark and bad places. Whereas light shades, such as; yellow, show times of happiness and life. 
• The image then has a burning away affect that old video players use to do. The image changes to Black and White and then man playing the piano walks away, signifying the song is over. 

Music Video deconstruction 2

Band: Kings Of Leon
Song: Four Kicks
Director: Ethan Johns and Angelo Petraglia 
Year: 2005
Genre: Rock, alternative rock
Audience: 16-24

The song's music video shows the band playing in a lobby where a massive fight breaks out spontaneously with people in the lobby when the band start playing the song. During the fighting the room is lit in red; but whenever Caleb is singing the red light goes out and the people fighting freeze in mid air... Source: Wikipedia

• The music video 'Four Kicks' starts with the four piece band centred in a room, they are lined up with all their instruments as if they are about to play a gig. They are surrounded by a selection of people who fill the room around them.
• Spontaneously whenever the lead singer, Caleb Followill, isn't singing the section of people start to fight. However when he starts to sing again they all freeze.
•  The camera moves from the band to the on-going fight throughout using a range of camera shots. Also when the fight starts the lighting changes to red, with the colour red signifying anger and blood it links well to fighting. 
• Because the lyrics are mainly about anger and the songs name has 'kicks' in it, this helps show the bands and producers idea for this video of violence.
• Overall I believe the idea of a live performance and a basic narrative work really well together, and will be an idea I will consider. 

Music Video deconstruction 3

Band: Katy Perry
Song: Fireworks
Director: Stargate and Sandy Vee
Year: 2010
Genre: Pop/rock
Audience: 16-24

Perry opens the video gazing down upon the city from a balcony. As she sings into the night, fireworks shoot from her chest and soon inspire young people throughout the city to overcome their fears and insecurities, in the process igniting their own fireworks. A shy overweight teenager, playing the role of wallflower at a pool party, finds the courage to shed her clothes and jump in the pool. A leukemia patient at a children's hospital proves to herself that she can show herself out on the street and in public despite her loss of hair.(also sees a pregnant woman with fireworks coming out of her chest as she goes into labor). A struggling young performer walking home in a dark alley uses tricks from his magic act to win over a group of street thugs who were trying to rob him. A boy confronts his fighting parents and pushes them apart because their shouting is upsetting his little sister. A young man finds the courage to approach the guy he is interested in and kisses him, igniting his firework within. Soon the youth of the city along with Perry are converging upon the courtyard of Buda Castle, dancing and lighting up the night with their own fireworks. Source: Wikipedia

• The video starts with 'katy Perry' stood on a balcony facing a large city at night.
• Then we get a side on view of her and fireworks shoot from her chest. This links to when she starts to sing the qourus with the lyric 'firework.'
• We then see a selection of narratives of people overcoming their fears;
• There is a boy with cancer, an overweight girl at a party, also a young child walking home being surround by bully's, a male then gets the confidence to kiss another male and a child who is scared of their parents always arguing.
• Slowly throughout the music video we see the people gaining confidence and achieving what they really want, this sending fireworks out of their chest. It is also provides anchorage to the song name 'firworks.'
• The young boy with cancer gets the courage to walk outside the hospital, even though he has no hair.
• The girl at the party gets the confidence to jump in the pool even though she is self-conses of her weight.
• A young boy walking home shows no fear and stands up against the bully's.
• Two men get the confidence in public to kiss, this standing up against the stereotypical view. They don't care about what people think.
• A child who is cuddling their younger sister as she cries because her parents are arguing, gains the courage to stand up infront of his parents and make his point.
• The meaning of this video is to show that no matter what society thinks. Do what makes you feel happy.

Music Video deconstruction 4

Band: Arctic Monkeys
Song: A View From The Afternoon
Director: Jim Abiss
Year: 2006
Genre: Indie Rock
Audience: 16-24

The video is based around a young male in a parka jacket playing the drum part of the song in the middle of a courtyard between blocks of high rise flats. Then, there is a sequence of surreal elements; an Indian schoolgirl walks past wearing plastic devil horns; a running fox; three men trying to attract his attention of the drummer who ignores them; the drummer is fed milk by the schoolgirl and then a brief shot in color of him washing himself in shallow water. The music stops and it is revealed that his drumming has led his hands to bleed. Then, a shot of a man in the dark wielding a baseball bat; a brief shot of the moon which then appears to explode; and the man struggling to lift the baseball bat. Finally the man with the bat comes near to the drummer and is about to strike him but the audio stops and we see a last shot of the male being showered in what could be rain or the fragments of the moon... Source: Wikipedia

• Firstly, the music video is based around a boy in a parka jacket. He is playing the drum beat to the song, surround by a housing estate believed to be set in the bands home land of 'Sheffield' where they all grew up. 
• We then see an Indian schoolgirl walks past, she later in the video feeds him milk from a carton, this showing her sympathy towards him.
•  Three men then walk past him, they are intimidating figures. They through what looks to be chips at him, but he continues to play the drums still looking very uncomfortable. 
• The music then stops, a mid shot of the drummers hands reveal he has been bleeding.  
• Then, a shot of a man in the dark wielding a baseball bat followed by a brief shot of the moon which then is shown to explode.  
• Finally the man with the bat approaches the drummer and appears to attempt to strike him, but the music stops. 
• We then get a final shot of what appears to be the exploded moon crumbling onto him.
•  The whole music video is filmed in black and white, this helps show how run down the surrounding area is.

Music Video deconstruction 5

Band: Muse
Song: Starlight
Director: Rich Costey
Year: 2006
Genre: Alternative/space rock
Audience: 16-24 

Muse worked with Paul Minor on Starlight's music video, which was filmed in Los Angeles. In the video, the band perform on the deck of the MS Ocean Chie, a handysize bulk carrier. Band members are also carrying flares, in an attempt to "get rescued," but in the end this fails and they are abandoned. This relates to the song's lyrics, which mentions ships and abandonment... Source: WIkipedia 

• The whole of this video is filmed on a boat, it is a high budget music video for one of their biggest songs. 
• The whole video is performance and all shot in colour, they use a range of shots from high angles of the boat to close ups of the lead vocalist. 
• The video gives the impression that they have been playing all throughout the day, this is shown through the song starting at day, then progressing to the night.  
• During the climax of the song fireworks appear to be going off, also flares. This creates a powerful feeling, also the idea that the video is coming to an end. Firework signify celebration. 

Music Video deconstruction 6

Band: Kanye West, Jay-Z
Song: Otis

The cover art was designed by Italian fashion designer Riccardo Tisci. Following its release the song received significant coverage and was reviewed by several sources. The song received highly positive reviews from music critics and has received radio airplay... Source: WIkipedia

• With Jay Z and Kanye West being two of the biggest and most well known rap artists at this current time, it is obvious straight off that this is a high budget music video. 
• It is all filmed on one location which is seen to be a scrap yard for modified cars. This could signify their 'gangsta' background through using cars to represent their masculinity. 
• America is a very patriotic country, this is further shown through the use of the American Flag placed behind them both with a low angle shot used to show their power. 
• Throughout the video we see a lot of long takes which is not a usual convention for a rap video. Also a lot of shots are in slow motion. 

Music video deconstruction 7

Band: Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Song: Heads Will Roll

"Heads Will Roll" is the second single released by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs from their third album, It's Blitz!. The CD and 7" commercial singles were released in the UK on June 29, 2009. It was also used in the video game Gran Turismo 5. The song was remixed by Kanye West's former touring DJ A-Trak... Source: Wikipedia

• With the 'Yeahs Yeah Yeahs' having a very futuristic sound, it proved right to inflict this onto their video. The clothes are shiny and colourful representing the future, and the same is seen in the setting with the bright lighting. 
• They use of common convention for their genre by when an instrument is introduced in the audio, visually the band member comes on screen playing that instrument. 
• It has narrative and performance aspects to it. 
• During the steady part of the song we see very long takes are shown. But as the pace of the video increases, so does the number of shots and the pace of the editing. 
• The red in the eyes of the wolf signify evil and horror. 

Music Video deconstruction 8

Band: Coldplay
Song: Fix You

"Fix You" is a song by English alternative rock band Coldplay. It was written by all four members of the band for their third album, X&Y. The track is built around an organ, that is accompanied by slow tempo drums, and a vocals. It was released on 5 September 2005 as the second single from X&Y and has reached number four in the United Kingdom Singles Chart... Source: Wikipedia

• It is good to note that this video links both the performance aspect and the narrative aspect together. This is commonly used in alternative/pop videos. 
• The shots start off slow fitting to the pace of the song, this creates a sad and calm feeling. 
• The darkness could signify looniness and depression. This could be linked to the lyrics through him following a light home. This could be the tunnel that he walks through early on, 'light at the end of the tunnel'. 
• As the song starts to pick up pace so does the editing and shot pace, he also starts to run. 
• The song ends when he reaches where he was heading, a gig or performance.  
• With the whole video being shot a night, lighting was key. They used artificial light very well. 
• Their is a range of shots throughout the video. 

Music Video deconstruction 9

Band: Iron and Wine

Song: Naked As We Came

Samuel Beam (born July 26, 1974), better known by his stage and recording name Iron & Wine, is an American singer-songwriter. He has released four studio albums, several EPs and singles, as well as a few download-only releases, which include a live album (a recording of his 2005 Bonnaroo performance)... Source: Wikipedia

• Although this video is very simple, I believe it is very well done. 
• It is all one singular shot of a table with things on it. The camera travels beside the table on a track to give a smooth shot.
• For the first half of the video we see everything on the table has life, whether its fresh fruit or flowers. Then when we get to the end of the table we get a mid-shot of a young boy and girl, they kiss and then the track heads back to the other end of the table. 
• As the camera heads back down to the other end of the table, it is noticeable that everything has now died. The flowers are rotten and so is the fruit. 
• This video signifies life, you start off young and full of life but as time moves forward, you get older. 
• It is all shot in colour to help show the life in the items, its also all shot in a long/mid-shot. 

Music Video deconstruction 10

Band: Tindersticks
Song: Can Our Love 

Tindersticks are a rock band from Nottingham, England formed in 1991. They released six albums before singer Stuart A. Staples took on a solo career. The band reunited briefly in 2006, but more permanently the following year. The band have recorded several film soundtracks... Source: Wikipedia

• Martin Wallace went over to Praha with his camera to film a wife and husband as they went about their everyday lives.
• There is a great use of a split screen idea with a polaroid look to it. 
• There is no real meaning behind the shots you see on screen but the overall effect is very good. 
• The colour is slightly fainted to give the footage an old feel to it. 

Music Video deconstruction 11

Band: Eminem ft. Rihanna
Song: I Love The Way you Lie

"Love the Way You Lie" is a song by American rapper Eminem, from his seventh studio album, Recovery (2010). It was released as the album's second single on August 9, 2010, through Interscope Records. The song features vocals by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna; the duo's chemistry met with praise... Source: Wikipedia

• This music video involves both narrative and performance. 
• The performance for the male singer is of an isolated area, signifying his loneliness in life. 
• The female is placed in front of a burning building linking to her lyrics.
• For both performance aspects there is a range of shots used, mainly long shots for the female to get her whole body in view for the male gaze. 
• The narrative involves a break down in a relationship, we see domestic violence and arguing signifying the collapse. 
• The narrative very much so links closely to the music video. 
• The use of close-up shots help show the real anger in both the characters faces. 

Music Video deconstruction 12

Band: Gorillaz
Song: Feel Good inc.

"Feel Good Inc." is a song by Gorillaz, on their album Demon Days, featuring De La Soul. The song was released as the lead single from the album on 9 May 2005 in the United Kingdom (see 2005 in British music). "Feel Good Inc." peaked at #2 in the United Kingdom and #14 in the United States, at the time the band's highest positions... Source: Wikipedia

Every single Gorillaz song consist's of a cartoon look, all the band members have their own drawn monkeys.
At the start of this songs the main singer appears to be trapped in a cage or prison. This is shown by him holding onto the bars at the window as he sings along to the words.

Music Video deconstruction 13

• Band: Wolfmother

Song: Dimension

"Dimension" is a song by Australian hard rock band Wolfmother, featured on their 2005 debut studio album Wolfmother. Written by band members Andrew Stockdale, Chris Ross and Myles Heskett, it was released as the second single from the album in Europe (and the third single overall) on 17 April 2006, charting at number 49 on the UK Singles Chart... Source: Wikipedia

• This music video is very cheap and was achieved at very low costs. Firstly, it was all filmed in black and white, this helping give it a more lonely and dark look.
• The whole video is centred around the whole band. They are set up in band formation with all their instruments, a white background fills the rest of the set. Throughout the whole video there is no narrative, just a performance. A range of camera shots is, showing close-ups of them playing their instruments, and longs shots of the whole band. This helps keep the whole production interesting and different.
• With them being a small band when this song was released they would have been working with a small budget. This showing the difference's between the American and Australian band/music industry.

Music Video deconstruction 14

Band: Radiohead
Song: Lotus Flower

A music video was released on February 18, 2011 and features black-and-white footage of lead singer Thom Yorke dancing while singing the song. It was directed by Garth Jennings and choreographed by Wayne McGregor. The video was originally uploaded on the band's official YouTube channel on February 16, 2011... Source: wikipedia

Music Video deconstruction 15

Band: MGMT
Song: Kids

"Kids" is the third single from MGMT's album Oracular Spectacular. It was released as a single on October 13, 2008. The song was the center of a legal dispute with the President of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, over the "insulting" compensation he offered for his illegal use of the song during a party conference..... Source: Wikipedia 

Censorship

Censorship is the suppression of nudity, language, harmful or sensitive topics etc.. It is believed to be a very controversial topic and a very two sided argument.
For:

• Stops young children seeing/hearing inappropriate language and visual imagery. 
• Allows videos and songs to be shown to a wider target audience. 
• If films have certificates, why shouldn't things stop being shown in music videos?

Against:

• Stops artists from being able to fully express themselves. 
• Creates guidelines for bands to follow. 
• Its not all equally, in one persons eye it may not be bad, but in another it may come across as offensive. 

An example of a censored video is Lady Gaga - Love Game due to "frequent verbal and visual sexual references".

Ways of hiding censorship:

• Blanking; when the volume is muted for all or part of the word.
• Bleeping; playing a noise, usually a "beep", over all or part of the word.
• Resampling; using a like-sounding portion of vocals and music to override the offending word.
• Resinging; Replacing a word with a more appropriate word.
• Backmasking; taking the offending word and reversing the audio, sometimes the whole audio is reversed (often because it is a home-made job), but more usually only the vocal track is reversed.
• Repeating; repeating the word just said before the explicit word was used.
• Skipping; deleting the word from the song without a time delay.
• Echo; instead of saying a word, it echoes the last word(s) said in the line.
• Disc scratching; in hip hop, scratching on the word, making it sound like another word, or make the word said faster or slower.
• RoboVoicing; making the word totally non-understandable by overpowering a robovoice effect (usually used as a last resort for home-made jobs).
• Distorting; Usually in Hip-Hop, less offensive words such as "shit" or else is distorted. It is usually done by shifting down the pitch.

Another example of censorship can be seen in some of Rihanna's videos: http://www.metro.co.uk/showbiz/876929-top-five-controversial-rihanna-moments