Thursday, 24 October 2013
Three Movie Clips Analysing Sound
Fifth Element - Diva opera Scene
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoW_ZOfsrzA
The Diva's singing starts of a diegetic sound but it still continuous even when the scene switches to other places of the ship, here it becomes non-diegetic as none of the characters outside the opera can hear the music even when the audience can. Apart from the music all of the sound effects are diegetic such as the gun shots, punching sounds etc. Panning isn't used for the music or singing, even when the camera focuses on members of the audience in different areas relevant to the Diva the music and singing doesn't change depending on where it's heard and remains central, this is done because the music is meant to be focused on by the audience of the film and not the audience of the opera. By doing this it means when the music picks up it feels like it has been built up to go with the action that also picks up. Mixing is used a few times during the opera, when other events are taking place throughout the ship, the music becomes slightly quieter so that we can focus on the dialog of the other characters. Also when the Mangalore (the aliens) knocks on the door his line "champaign for the Diva" has been made louder so that it sounds on level with the man closest to the camera instead of sounding quieter like you would expect since he says it through a door. Again this insures that the audience can focus on the events occurring and highlights the importance of what is currently happening. Also as the Mangalore's break into the Diva's hotel room their grunts become quieter as the camera focuses on Leeloo whose breath becomes louder. When the action starts mixing is used to make the punching sound very exaggerated. Foley sound has been used to make the punching sounds specifically because the sound wouldn't be loud enough or sound how they wanted it to without foley. When Leeloo kicks the blade in the Mangalore's hand the sound of the blade is also foley, used to make the blade seem more threatening and also it being more surprising when Leeloo is able to break it. The growls of the Mangalore's is also foley and is used to fill in what would've been white noise if the scene of them rummaging in the hotel had been left without it.
Final Fantasy VII Advent Children - Fight in Forgotten City
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tc9G-vjik8A
Panning is used on the motor bikes sound, as it starts of further away from the camera or other characters it is quieter but as it gets closer it gets louder. It is also used on the sound of the gunshots and the sound of the ground moving in the same way. Panning is also used for the movement of the red cloak, as it jumps right to left and briefly closer to the screen before flying far away the sound of the material movement also follows this pattern being heard right to left and then louder when closer to the screen and then quieter as it flies away. This is done so that audience can gage how close or far away the action is and helps build up the tension as seen when the motorbike is getting closer to the children the tension grows, we know the motorbike is close not because we can see but because we can hear it getting louder. When Cloud enters the flower field mixing is used to make Aerith's voice seem slightly louder, it is also more echoey while Cloud's voice remains at a neutral level, this makes her sound more ethereal and shows the audience that she is different in some way to Cloud. Mixing is also used to make the children's footsteps sound loud when they jump on the path, everything goes quiet when they appear apart from their steps. The clicking heard at the beginning of the clip that also appears again in the clip is a non-diegetic sound used to represent the virus in the characters however it cannot be heard by any of them. The music that plays during the Flower Field scene and during the battle scene is also non-diegetic used to enhance the atmosphere. However the sounds of the sword's shing, gunshots, motorbike etc. are all part of the diegesis, used to enhance the experience of watching a very quick pace fantasy battle. Since it is an animation all the sounds used are foley sound however they have all been created to sound as close the real thing as possible and haven't been exaggerated like the punching sounds in The Fifth Element.
Men In Black - Headquarters
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3OTEdZkBaQ
A lot of sounds occur at the same time during the beginning if the scene, panning is used so that the sounds heard nearest to camera are louder and then become quiet as the camera zooms back. The announcement can be heard as background noise and so panning is used to make it sound far in comparison to the noises taking place close to the camera. A sound bridge is used when a man is talking to an alien that has apparently just arrived on Earth, mixing is used to make their voices sound louder than everything else happening around them, this allows the audience to gain insight into how this organisation functions as well as foreshadowing later events. Mixing is also used while K and James speak to each other as while they walk through the offices while a lot of other things are happening their voices are still heard over all of it. When they enter the room full of confiscated technology panning is use on the sound of the floating ball which sounds more to the left to match where it is placed, mixing is also used on it since it sounds louder then all the other technology in the room. This is done to draw attention to it both for the audience and James. When the ball goes flying mixing is used on it again to make the sounds of it hitting things and the sound of it moving louder than everything else. Panning is also use on the sound of the ball hitting the walls as it bounces from place to place the sound is also heard based on further right or left. All of the sounds used in the scene are part of the diegesis used to make the environment seem more real and reminiscent of the noise heard in an airport with the announcers and workers. Foley sound is also used a lot since some of the aliens are animation or some sounds wouldn't be heard properly with the rate that the camera zooms out, because of this all of the aliens voices except for the one talking to the man are foley and all the sounds of the technology are also foley. This is done because the sounds being made for the aliens and technology are created to sound otherworldly.
Monday, 21 October 2013
Princess Mononoke Foley Sound Evaluation
Princess Mononoke Foley Sound Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfdLkAhNKic
The first thing we recorded was the deer and horses hooves steps as we could see they were continuously running throughout the clip. The recording of the coconut seemed to fit very well and in sync with the visuals. We made sure that the deer's hooves could only be heard when the camera was close to it and added a fade so that when the deer ran away off screen the sound followed it. We also made the horses hooves quieter than the deers during the shot were the horses can be seen from a distance, this worked since it match with the visuals which showed the horses further away from the camera. When the camera got close to the horses though we made the horses hooves loud since their where two of them and they are heavy animals.
We also made sure that the sound could be heard in sync with the arrows hitting the ground at the very beginning, the sound of a wooden pole didn't sound perfect but it fit well enough.
We added the sound of a bag being hit by a wooden pole as the sound effect of one of the soldiers attacking the villager and a man shouting this was in perfect timing with the soundtrack which picks up just as the action begins and the virus attacks the main characters arm.
the sound of the virus was perfect, it sounded slimy and other worldly however because it was the made from lettuce swishing around in ketchup, even when turned up to the maximum it was slightly drowned out by the music.
the sound of the virus was perfect, it sounded slimy and other worldly however because it was the made from lettuce swishing around in ketchup, even when turned up to the maximum it was slightly drowned out by the music.
We used the sound of raw meat smacking wood as the sound of the arms being pinned to the tree and although it sounded perfect it didn't quite match the timing of the visuals. The wind sound effect however, made by simply blowing into the microphone, worked well with the arrows flying through the air and the thump at the end, made by dropping a heavy bag on the floor, was also in time with the body falling of the horse.
All around we did quite well and worked very well together as a team helping each other to make the sounds, as all sound effects apart from the soundtrack were made by us. We however missed a few sounds such as the sounds of the other soldiers and the sound of the panicked villager, the deer and horses are also completely silent apart from their hooves. We also forgot to add in the sound of the bucket being kicked as the deer ran past and also forgot to add any more sounds of the men. There was also some inconsistency as we forgot to add the same twang noise of the arrow from the beginning in the later scenes. The sound of the head being knocked of also doesn't seem to fit with the visual.
The sounds used match with the targeted audience as the anime itself is targeted for older children and teens and so the sounds used are not meant to be cartoony but more realistic. The sounds are very well synced with the action in the scene and some sounds needed to be slowed down so that they sounded right like the sound used to create the virus under the characters arm.
The sounds used match with the targeted audience as the anime itself is targeted for older children and teens and so the sounds used are not meant to be cartoony but more realistic. The sounds are very well synced with the action in the scene and some sounds needed to be slowed down so that they sounded right like the sound used to create the virus under the characters arm.
Editing Task
If footage has already been recorded then log and transfer should be used so that the footage can be put directly from the camera into Final Cut Pro. If there is already footage saved onto the computer then go to File - Import - Files then a box will come up, find the footage on the computer you want and choose it.
This box will appear, name your project and then press the arrow next to the Save As box. This will open up Documents so you can find a place to save your finished project. You can change settings to change the quality of the video or if you plan on uploading the video elsewhere you can change the settings to make the video compatible with other sites. Then press Save and wait for the video to finish Exporting.
It will now be in Final Cut Pro were you can drag it into the time line to edit.
The easiest way to add a cross fade is after the clip has been dragged into the timeline you can right click on the end that you want the fade to occur and then click Add Transition "Cross Dissolve."
In order to cut the clip you must press the Razor Blade tool on the window on the right hand lower corner. Then click on the parts of the clip that you want to cut.
In order to crop a clip move the curser to the end that you want to crop, click and hold on the end and then pull it down to the part that you want, this will delete the parts of the clip you don't want but you can also return them by dragging the end of the clip back.
When you are finished editing the footage go to File - Export - QuickTime Movie.
This box will appear, name your project and then press the arrow next to the Save As box. This will open up Documents so you can find a place to save your finished project. You can change settings to change the quality of the video or if you plan on uploading the video elsewhere you can change the settings to make the video compatible with other sites. Then press Save and wait for the video to finish Exporting. Monday, 14 October 2013
Instructional Video On Setting Up Camera,Tripod, Sound And Lights Evaluation
Our group was made up of seven people in order to produce this instructional video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pf4gwUHbTlQ
Our team was set up with roles before the beginning of production:
Me, Izzy and Rory as actors.
Derry as camera man.
Eddy as lighting.
Megan as sound.
And Amy as the director.
I was one of three actors that would show up in the video. my role was to show up during the demonstration of how to set up the camera in the video. I also became one of the two editors who worked on the footage in post production. The filming however was rather difficult since no planning was done before the filming. To make things more difficult during the filming multiple members of the group had different ideas on how to film the video meaning that the the filming took longer than necessary and the director didn't make too many of the decisions in the end. A couple of members didn't seem to contribute as much as others.
However the majority of members worked hard once the filming got going and footage captured was at a good standard.
The camera work was very well done and showed all of the smaller, important parts of the equipment such as the camera switches and tripod level dial.
The light setting was also well done and the video was good at showing the difference between no light and with light, however the actual set up of the lights footage was missed.
The sound equipment was shown and the narration was balanced with the clips and could be heard over the background music which made the video flow better. However the actual narration misses full explanation such as talking about the dead cat etc. This was due to the editors and actors rushing to finish in time during post production, also we did not have any direction from the sound member during filming.
All in all the video is at a good standard and shows all of the main components of an interview, it simply misses a few details.
Our team was set up with roles before the beginning of production:
Me, Izzy and Rory as actors.
Derry as camera man.
Eddy as lighting.
Megan as sound.
And Amy as the director.
I was one of three actors that would show up in the video. my role was to show up during the demonstration of how to set up the camera in the video. I also became one of the two editors who worked on the footage in post production. The filming however was rather difficult since no planning was done before the filming. To make things more difficult during the filming multiple members of the group had different ideas on how to film the video meaning that the the filming took longer than necessary and the director didn't make too many of the decisions in the end. A couple of members didn't seem to contribute as much as others.
However the majority of members worked hard once the filming got going and footage captured was at a good standard.
The camera work was very well done and showed all of the smaller, important parts of the equipment such as the camera switches and tripod level dial.
The light setting was also well done and the video was good at showing the difference between no light and with light, however the actual set up of the lights footage was missed.
The sound equipment was shown and the narration was balanced with the clips and could be heard over the background music which made the video flow better. However the actual narration misses full explanation such as talking about the dead cat etc. This was due to the editors and actors rushing to finish in time during post production, also we did not have any direction from the sound member during filming.
All in all the video is at a good standard and shows all of the main components of an interview, it simply misses a few details.
Sunday, 13 October 2013
Music Videos: Who, What, When, Where And Why And Also How
"Let It Go" By Fossil Collective
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5nE1510oYo
This music video shows many of Andrew Goodwin's characteristics for music videos.
The music video falls into the genre of romantic tragedy. This can be seen through the narrative which follows the man "Edward" who begins working throughout the years of his life to build a ladder to reach the woman "Anne" who is stuck on the moon after he fell out of the hot air balloon on their journey. The music video conforms to genre it is based off. The tragedy element comes from the separation of the couple and the aspect that it takes years before they are re-united. The main character Edward is shown to be very determined and is the male character that "refuses to give up until he is with her" which is found in the typical romance genre. Also part of the romance genre is that of which the male characters perseverance is then rewarded with the "happily ever after" scene at the end when Edward is able to embrace Anne. By using film genre's in the music video it helps elect a emotional response from the audience who will recognise certain conventions, thus making them want to watch the video to what will happen in it's narrative while also making the music itself more memorable.
The music video shows the ideas of romance through a flashback (another technique typically used in film) at the beginning, the couple are seen together in a hot air balloon, the lyrics at this point are "we were an island, you were the one who broke away" this also matches the visuals since it connotes the idea of them being together and then being separated as happens during the scene when Edward falling out of the basket. The visuals and lyrics also match during the clip when Edward is looking out to the moon and stars the lyrics are then "only when the moon is high enough, only when the stars are light enough." In the case of this song it could be interpreted as a cautionary tale for young romance, the lyrics "we started something, tried to make a fire without a flame" referring to teens or young adults trying to be a couple before they are ready. This also matches with the next lyric "why it wasn't right I couldn't say" which connotes that sometimes relationships don't work but no one is always to blame. The "Let it go" chorus is the main moral of the song, that when things don't work out you shouldn't hold on but should instead move on. If this was the interpretation of the lyrics then the visual would be a metaphor for this, Edward and Anne would symbolise the young couple, their separation would symbolise insecurity at not being ready to commit to each other. Their years apart from each other would symbolise the time it takes before they would be ready to be together (which for young people it can feel like a long time before they grow up). However the happy ending symbolises that even if it seems a long time you will eventually you will be ready to have a serious relationship however you shouldn't on until that moment. By creating these links between lyrics and visuals it means a deeper meaning behind the song can be conveyed to the audience through both the narrative and audio. This allows audiences to try and interpret the song and will therefore engage more with the text meaning they are more likely to enjoy it and listen/watch it again
The angles of that the camera and pacing is used to gain an emotional response from the audience. For example the camera is at a high angle showing Edward cling to the base of the balloon which shows the audience the height the characters are, this is followed by the fall which is in slow motion to make it appear like a long drop. The camera zooms out slowly backwards from Anne while the screen turns grey, this is also used to portray Edward's vision of watching her get further away. All of this is done slowly so that the visuals match the pace of the song while also making it seem more dramatic to the audience. The use of this slowness is kept throughout the entire video as it is a core part of the narrative, for example Edward must wait years for the trees to grow back so he can continue building his ladder. This passage of time is shown through the sped up process of night and day paralleled with close ups of the tree shoots growing and a close up of Edward's face so his white hair can be seen. This is used to create the tragedy aspect of the genre and also matches the continued slowness of the song, therefor creating a relationship between the music and the visuals.
The video also follows a visual style that the artists like to use. They have used stop motion in another one of their songs "On And On." Since they are an independant group they use this style to make themselves stand out from other music videos, it is also done because cheap materials such as paper and lego is used to create the videos meaning from selling their songs they can easily make back the money they spend making it.
There are many references made to other media throughout the music video, while the character is falling the camera shows some records falling with him in slow motion. These also appear in other scenes of the video, these are Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. The idea of building a ladder from earth materials to reach the moon is also a reference to the creative capabilities within the video game Minecraft.
The video doesn't make use of any voyeurism however it does make references to the notion of "looking" as Edward is seen unfolding a telescope which the camera zooms in on, the clip then cuts to the point of view through the telescope showing Edward looking at Anne on the moon. A few seconds later Edward is seen climbing a tree and then a panning shot across a long shot is used to show him staring at the moon. This means that this music video uses all characteristics found in Andrew Goodman's theory.
"Diary Of Jane" By Breaking Benjamin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWaB4PXCwFU
This song like "Let It Go" in that it is also very narrative driven however unlike Fossil Collective the band is a major label, this means the style of the music video is very different. The band itself is part of the rock band genre, meaning it uses a lot of the band playing it it's footage, this is also due to it's major label status as it is used as a motif so the audience can identify the product based on the band members being in the video. The colours used is also part of the style of the band as they tend to play in darkly lit areas with plenty of shadows which is also reflected in their music videos which also have lighting placed to increase shadow.
Another contrast to "Let It Go" is that "Diary Of Jane" utilizes lip sinking which is used as the main link between visuals and lyrics, the majority of lyrics is seen sung by the lead singer while the band is playing on in the music video, this is because Breaking Benjamin uses the band members themselves as the recognisable product for the audience while Fossil Collective instead uses it's stop motion style. Apart from the lip syncing however there are other instances when the narrative of the music video matches the lyrics for example the lyric "as I look the other way" is linked with a medium close up of Jane, the woman, turning her head. Also the diary that the song is about is also shown in the music video both through long shots at the beginning of the video making it hard to see and close ups at the end of the video ensuring that it can be seen. This is done to enhance the narrative similar to how a film would place a plot device for example something of unknown importance is introduced at beginning of story (diary) which is then brought back later and explained so audience can fully understand the importance of the device (it belongs to Jane who is now dead). By using a convention seen more commonly in films it helps audiences understand the weight of the narrative that the music video is trying to portray and can encourage audiences to engage with the music video by trying to figure out it's meaning before the answer is revealed. The song could be interpreted to be about a man (Benjamin) who has lost his love (Jane) and so began reading her diary about her life only to discover that he isn't mentioned at all in it. This can be taken from the lyrics "I will try to find my place in the diary of Jane." After discovering this he starts to destroy pieces of the diary in a desperate attempt to find some mention of himself which links with the lyrics "As a burn another page, as I look the other way." Because he can't find any mention of him he starts to hate Jane for apparently not loving him as much as he thought which can be derived from the lyrics "There's a fine line between love and hate" and "No love, there is no love." Because he is destroying parts of the memories Jane wrote this explains why when Jane is wandering around her house she finds objects missing, can't see herself in the mirror and looks around like she is missing someone else. It could be interpreted that the missing things are the parts of the diary that have been destroyed by Benjamin who ultimately decides to leave the diary behind. It is this kind of interpretation that the audience is encouraged to make when watching the videos because it allows them to become more invested in the song and the video which drops hints about it's narrative throughout as demonstrated.
The music changes pace from it's intro to the verses and chorus, this prompts the visuals to change with it in a much more diverse way than "Let It Go" which was constantly slow and so only had to have the visuals remain slow in "Diary Of Jane" the visuals like the music starts slow before speeding up. The beginning of the song starts with a slow beat which the visuals match with slow panning shots in the forest and into the house where Jane is. As the music picks up Jane jerks awake at the same time a sound bridge like link between the scene with Jane and the band playing. From here almost every beat results in a shot change of a different view of the band or of Jane. This is also done with the lyrics as some words end results in a shot change as demonstrates here:
"So (close up) tell (medium long shot) me (long shot) how (close up) it (medium long shot)
should (medium long shot) be (medium close up)."
This helps create continuity within in the shots, the clip changes don't feel awkward since they are in time with the beat and are almost unnoticeable. The look of narrative also matches the lyrics as it is a sad song that connotes death and desperateness the visuals are full of shadows and dull colours, this is also part of the motif of Breaking Benjamin.
The song uses a main female character in the music video however in the beginning when she is in the bath the camera only focuses on her face and her body remains unseen. Throughout the music video she wanders around wearing a white low cut dress however despite this the camera still remains at a high angle and her face is the focus of the shots that don't go below her neck. Because of this there are no sexual connotations in the music video and voyeurism is avoided. However the video still references the notion of looking, this time instead of using telescopes it uses mirrors. Near the end of the music video Jane spends some time staring into the mirrors even though she can't be seen.
Although "The Diary Of Jane" also follows much of Andrew Goodwin's theory it however doesn't seem to contain any intertextual references making it different from Fossil Collectives "Let It Go."
"Sing For Absolution" By Muse
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ck6Hcg2cjk
The music video for this song plays very heavily on the sci-fi genre which is used to portray the narrative of the music video, because of this the rock band don't use the same conventions that Breaking Benjamin used despite them both being from the same genre of music. Unlike rock bands like Breaking Benjamin and other major label bands in this video no live stage footage or footage of the band playing is used, the entire video is dedicated to the narrative making it appear as a short film. This is very different to the style that the band usually goes for as their other music videos like "Resistance" and "Time Is Running Out" do conform to the usual rock band genre conventions by using stage footage and the band playing the the video footage. Absolution was the name of the album that this song and others were sold on so it is possible the music video was made differently to stand out amongst other bands and their own work which would draw audiences more to the album because the video was different and new for a rock band genre. Also by using motifs (advanced tech city/space ships) found in popular sci-fi genres this would also attract a larger audience who would be fans of these products.
Lip syncing is used to link the lyrics with the visuals as the main singer, who is focused on more than the rest of the band, is seen singing throughout the video. Whenever he says the chorus "Sing for absolution" a grand event happens at the same time with the rise of the music making it feel like the music has to get louder in order for us to hear over the visuals for example first he sings it over the launching of the ship, then next over the ship jumping to light speed and finally during the ships entering a planets atmosphere. At this point the lyrics "falling from your grace" also match the visuals of the ship falling to the planet below. The visuals alone tells the story of a sci-fi survival genre, the three astronauts must leave earth on a mission to save some people, already in stasis in space, from the ice age that has hit Earth. However they lose the stasis ship during the collision with asteroids and end up stranded on an alien planet. The ending scene however implies that a distress alarm has been activated on the stasis ship and so there is hope they will be rescued. The music paired with this story seems intended to create a juxtaposition as the music is very slow and calm while the visuals are action packed and exciting. This is done to portray meaning to the audience while telling a story that audiences are familiar with and enjoy seeing.
The establishing shots of the music video are designed to cut during each main beat of the music for example on the beat an extreme long shot of the city is shown, on another beat a low angle of the ship preparing to launch is shown and then the next beat is followed by a cut into the cockpit of the ship. When the music picks up and becomes loud for the chorus this is followed by the ships launch as well as the jump to lightspeed and also plays loud during the crash. This has been done to make the events on screen seem grand and important as well as giving the illusion that the event itself is loud (like you would expect in films) even though you can't hear it (or it is very quiet) in the video. The instrumental also begins exactly as the ship comes out of lightspeed into the asteroid field and plays during the ships attempts to dodge the asteroids, this makes the scene appear intense and is placed in the same way that music in sci-fi action scenes would be placed. Ss the music becomes quiet and slow at the end the visuals are also less hectic symbolising the end of the action.
Unlike both previous videos there are no female characters in the video, the only woman being the brief clip of the notice board in space however this board only shows her face so there is no voyeurism in the video. However like the other clips it also uses the notion of looking, however it is neither through telescopes or mirrors, instead it is through the screens on the ship which is shown multiple times in order to show the collision warnings, the power for the preparation for launch and the inside of the stasis ship.
There are debatably many intertextual references made in this video since it is a play on the sci-fi genre, the music video made in 2004 uses a futuristic city that looks very similar to Coruscant from The Phantom Menace released in 1999 as well as the space ships which also seems designed similarly to this film. Also the astronaut suits appear similar to the suits in the Alien movies because of this it makes the video look like an homage to sci-fi films, the narrative of the video also fits with this idea.
"Men In Black" - Will Smith
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRuHk6Drj2U
This music video plays heavily on marketing as co-branding is used by making Will Smith the main character of the film also perform in a music video for the purpose of being sold to the audience. Because of Will Smith popularity he is shown in many close ups throughout the video, this conforms to one of Andrew Godwin's theories and is done for marketing purposes. This is a form of synergy as Will Smith is collaborating with the music director Robert Caruso and Columbia Pictures for with the intent of promoting these related products. This is done on purpose as it will make more money for the producers who will be able to sell the music and film while also further promoting the film since the music will be sent out to different music charts, channels and albums. The film also simultaneously promotes the music video as it is can be found at the end of the film and therefore can be sold on VHS (at the time of release) DVD, TV and internet.
The lyrics match with the purpose of promotion for the film as they pretty much just describes the Men In Black organisation that the film is based around with the some of the visuals showing clips from the film and then towards the end the remaining time being taken up with a dance number. Again this is to promote the film as those that have brought the album or have seen the music video on the internet or a music channel may become interested in the film it is based on while also not having the film spoiled as the music video doesn't contain any specifics on the plot of the film.
The video also plays to a lot of Andrew Goodwin's theory as the genre of the music is hip-hop it has a dance number to go with it which includes an alien so that it still links with the sci-fi genre of the movie it is based of. There is also links between the visuals and lyrics as when Will says "Here comes the MIB's" Will is shown coming in a car with agents in a car. And later on Will says "Means what you think you saw you did not see" when he says this he shows a card which then disappears. The lyrics are used in parts to link with the visuals of the film that are shown in parts such as when Will says "extraterrestrial violence" a clip from the film is shown of a car being destroyed by a falling fire ball. This is used many times throughout the film to attract the audiences attention to the film and give them information without spoilers.
The song also features intertextuality as a lyric from "Forget Me Nots" has been referenced and rewritten from "I want you to remember" to "They won't let you remember" in reference to the neutralizers memory erasing capabilities and Patrice Rushen the artist of "Forget Me Nots."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5nE1510oYo
This music video shows many of Andrew Goodwin's characteristics for music videos.
The music video falls into the genre of romantic tragedy. This can be seen through the narrative which follows the man "Edward" who begins working throughout the years of his life to build a ladder to reach the woman "Anne" who is stuck on the moon after he fell out of the hot air balloon on their journey. The music video conforms to genre it is based off. The tragedy element comes from the separation of the couple and the aspect that it takes years before they are re-united. The main character Edward is shown to be very determined and is the male character that "refuses to give up until he is with her" which is found in the typical romance genre. Also part of the romance genre is that of which the male characters perseverance is then rewarded with the "happily ever after" scene at the end when Edward is able to embrace Anne. By using film genre's in the music video it helps elect a emotional response from the audience who will recognise certain conventions, thus making them want to watch the video to what will happen in it's narrative while also making the music itself more memorable.
The music video shows the ideas of romance through a flashback (another technique typically used in film) at the beginning, the couple are seen together in a hot air balloon, the lyrics at this point are "we were an island, you were the one who broke away" this also matches the visuals since it connotes the idea of them being together and then being separated as happens during the scene when Edward falling out of the basket. The visuals and lyrics also match during the clip when Edward is looking out to the moon and stars the lyrics are then "only when the moon is high enough, only when the stars are light enough." In the case of this song it could be interpreted as a cautionary tale for young romance, the lyrics "we started something, tried to make a fire without a flame" referring to teens or young adults trying to be a couple before they are ready. This also matches with the next lyric "why it wasn't right I couldn't say" which connotes that sometimes relationships don't work but no one is always to blame. The "Let it go" chorus is the main moral of the song, that when things don't work out you shouldn't hold on but should instead move on. If this was the interpretation of the lyrics then the visual would be a metaphor for this, Edward and Anne would symbolise the young couple, their separation would symbolise insecurity at not being ready to commit to each other. Their years apart from each other would symbolise the time it takes before they would be ready to be together (which for young people it can feel like a long time before they grow up). However the happy ending symbolises that even if it seems a long time you will eventually you will be ready to have a serious relationship however you shouldn't on until that moment. By creating these links between lyrics and visuals it means a deeper meaning behind the song can be conveyed to the audience through both the narrative and audio. This allows audiences to try and interpret the song and will therefore engage more with the text meaning they are more likely to enjoy it and listen/watch it again
The angles of that the camera and pacing is used to gain an emotional response from the audience. For example the camera is at a high angle showing Edward cling to the base of the balloon which shows the audience the height the characters are, this is followed by the fall which is in slow motion to make it appear like a long drop. The camera zooms out slowly backwards from Anne while the screen turns grey, this is also used to portray Edward's vision of watching her get further away. All of this is done slowly so that the visuals match the pace of the song while also making it seem more dramatic to the audience. The use of this slowness is kept throughout the entire video as it is a core part of the narrative, for example Edward must wait years for the trees to grow back so he can continue building his ladder. This passage of time is shown through the sped up process of night and day paralleled with close ups of the tree shoots growing and a close up of Edward's face so his white hair can be seen. This is used to create the tragedy aspect of the genre and also matches the continued slowness of the song, therefor creating a relationship between the music and the visuals.
The video also follows a visual style that the artists like to use. They have used stop motion in another one of their songs "On And On." Since they are an independant group they use this style to make themselves stand out from other music videos, it is also done because cheap materials such as paper and lego is used to create the videos meaning from selling their songs they can easily make back the money they spend making it.
There are many references made to other media throughout the music video, while the character is falling the camera shows some records falling with him in slow motion. These also appear in other scenes of the video, these are Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. The idea of building a ladder from earth materials to reach the moon is also a reference to the creative capabilities within the video game Minecraft.
The video doesn't make use of any voyeurism however it does make references to the notion of "looking" as Edward is seen unfolding a telescope which the camera zooms in on, the clip then cuts to the point of view through the telescope showing Edward looking at Anne on the moon. A few seconds later Edward is seen climbing a tree and then a panning shot across a long shot is used to show him staring at the moon. This means that this music video uses all characteristics found in Andrew Goodman's theory.
"Diary Of Jane" By Breaking Benjamin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DWaB4PXCwFU
This song like "Let It Go" in that it is also very narrative driven however unlike Fossil Collective the band is a major label, this means the style of the music video is very different. The band itself is part of the rock band genre, meaning it uses a lot of the band playing it it's footage, this is also due to it's major label status as it is used as a motif so the audience can identify the product based on the band members being in the video. The colours used is also part of the style of the band as they tend to play in darkly lit areas with plenty of shadows which is also reflected in their music videos which also have lighting placed to increase shadow.
Another contrast to "Let It Go" is that "Diary Of Jane" utilizes lip sinking which is used as the main link between visuals and lyrics, the majority of lyrics is seen sung by the lead singer while the band is playing on in the music video, this is because Breaking Benjamin uses the band members themselves as the recognisable product for the audience while Fossil Collective instead uses it's stop motion style. Apart from the lip syncing however there are other instances when the narrative of the music video matches the lyrics for example the lyric "as I look the other way" is linked with a medium close up of Jane, the woman, turning her head. Also the diary that the song is about is also shown in the music video both through long shots at the beginning of the video making it hard to see and close ups at the end of the video ensuring that it can be seen. This is done to enhance the narrative similar to how a film would place a plot device for example something of unknown importance is introduced at beginning of story (diary) which is then brought back later and explained so audience can fully understand the importance of the device (it belongs to Jane who is now dead). By using a convention seen more commonly in films it helps audiences understand the weight of the narrative that the music video is trying to portray and can encourage audiences to engage with the music video by trying to figure out it's meaning before the answer is revealed. The song could be interpreted to be about a man (Benjamin) who has lost his love (Jane) and so began reading her diary about her life only to discover that he isn't mentioned at all in it. This can be taken from the lyrics "I will try to find my place in the diary of Jane." After discovering this he starts to destroy pieces of the diary in a desperate attempt to find some mention of himself which links with the lyrics "As a burn another page, as I look the other way." Because he can't find any mention of him he starts to hate Jane for apparently not loving him as much as he thought which can be derived from the lyrics "There's a fine line between love and hate" and "No love, there is no love." Because he is destroying parts of the memories Jane wrote this explains why when Jane is wandering around her house she finds objects missing, can't see herself in the mirror and looks around like she is missing someone else. It could be interpreted that the missing things are the parts of the diary that have been destroyed by Benjamin who ultimately decides to leave the diary behind. It is this kind of interpretation that the audience is encouraged to make when watching the videos because it allows them to become more invested in the song and the video which drops hints about it's narrative throughout as demonstrated.
The music changes pace from it's intro to the verses and chorus, this prompts the visuals to change with it in a much more diverse way than "Let It Go" which was constantly slow and so only had to have the visuals remain slow in "Diary Of Jane" the visuals like the music starts slow before speeding up. The beginning of the song starts with a slow beat which the visuals match with slow panning shots in the forest and into the house where Jane is. As the music picks up Jane jerks awake at the same time a sound bridge like link between the scene with Jane and the band playing. From here almost every beat results in a shot change of a different view of the band or of Jane. This is also done with the lyrics as some words end results in a shot change as demonstrates here:
"So (close up) tell (medium long shot) me (long shot) how (close up) it (medium long shot)
should (medium long shot) be (medium close up)."
This helps create continuity within in the shots, the clip changes don't feel awkward since they are in time with the beat and are almost unnoticeable. The look of narrative also matches the lyrics as it is a sad song that connotes death and desperateness the visuals are full of shadows and dull colours, this is also part of the motif of Breaking Benjamin.
The song uses a main female character in the music video however in the beginning when she is in the bath the camera only focuses on her face and her body remains unseen. Throughout the music video she wanders around wearing a white low cut dress however despite this the camera still remains at a high angle and her face is the focus of the shots that don't go below her neck. Because of this there are no sexual connotations in the music video and voyeurism is avoided. However the video still references the notion of looking, this time instead of using telescopes it uses mirrors. Near the end of the music video Jane spends some time staring into the mirrors even though she can't be seen.
Although "The Diary Of Jane" also follows much of Andrew Goodwin's theory it however doesn't seem to contain any intertextual references making it different from Fossil Collectives "Let It Go."
"Sing For Absolution" By Muse
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ck6Hcg2cjk
The music video for this song plays very heavily on the sci-fi genre which is used to portray the narrative of the music video, because of this the rock band don't use the same conventions that Breaking Benjamin used despite them both being from the same genre of music. Unlike rock bands like Breaking Benjamin and other major label bands in this video no live stage footage or footage of the band playing is used, the entire video is dedicated to the narrative making it appear as a short film. This is very different to the style that the band usually goes for as their other music videos like "Resistance" and "Time Is Running Out" do conform to the usual rock band genre conventions by using stage footage and the band playing the the video footage. Absolution was the name of the album that this song and others were sold on so it is possible the music video was made differently to stand out amongst other bands and their own work which would draw audiences more to the album because the video was different and new for a rock band genre. Also by using motifs (advanced tech city/space ships) found in popular sci-fi genres this would also attract a larger audience who would be fans of these products.
Lip syncing is used to link the lyrics with the visuals as the main singer, who is focused on more than the rest of the band, is seen singing throughout the video. Whenever he says the chorus "Sing for absolution" a grand event happens at the same time with the rise of the music making it feel like the music has to get louder in order for us to hear over the visuals for example first he sings it over the launching of the ship, then next over the ship jumping to light speed and finally during the ships entering a planets atmosphere. At this point the lyrics "falling from your grace" also match the visuals of the ship falling to the planet below. The visuals alone tells the story of a sci-fi survival genre, the three astronauts must leave earth on a mission to save some people, already in stasis in space, from the ice age that has hit Earth. However they lose the stasis ship during the collision with asteroids and end up stranded on an alien planet. The ending scene however implies that a distress alarm has been activated on the stasis ship and so there is hope they will be rescued. The music paired with this story seems intended to create a juxtaposition as the music is very slow and calm while the visuals are action packed and exciting. This is done to portray meaning to the audience while telling a story that audiences are familiar with and enjoy seeing.
The establishing shots of the music video are designed to cut during each main beat of the music for example on the beat an extreme long shot of the city is shown, on another beat a low angle of the ship preparing to launch is shown and then the next beat is followed by a cut into the cockpit of the ship. When the music picks up and becomes loud for the chorus this is followed by the ships launch as well as the jump to lightspeed and also plays loud during the crash. This has been done to make the events on screen seem grand and important as well as giving the illusion that the event itself is loud (like you would expect in films) even though you can't hear it (or it is very quiet) in the video. The instrumental also begins exactly as the ship comes out of lightspeed into the asteroid field and plays during the ships attempts to dodge the asteroids, this makes the scene appear intense and is placed in the same way that music in sci-fi action scenes would be placed. Ss the music becomes quiet and slow at the end the visuals are also less hectic symbolising the end of the action.
Unlike both previous videos there are no female characters in the video, the only woman being the brief clip of the notice board in space however this board only shows her face so there is no voyeurism in the video. However like the other clips it also uses the notion of looking, however it is neither through telescopes or mirrors, instead it is through the screens on the ship which is shown multiple times in order to show the collision warnings, the power for the preparation for launch and the inside of the stasis ship.
There are debatably many intertextual references made in this video since it is a play on the sci-fi genre, the music video made in 2004 uses a futuristic city that looks very similar to Coruscant from The Phantom Menace released in 1999 as well as the space ships which also seems designed similarly to this film. Also the astronaut suits appear similar to the suits in the Alien movies because of this it makes the video look like an homage to sci-fi films, the narrative of the video also fits with this idea.
"Men In Black" - Will Smith
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRuHk6Drj2U
This music video plays heavily on marketing as co-branding is used by making Will Smith the main character of the film also perform in a music video for the purpose of being sold to the audience. Because of Will Smith popularity he is shown in many close ups throughout the video, this conforms to one of Andrew Godwin's theories and is done for marketing purposes. This is a form of synergy as Will Smith is collaborating with the music director Robert Caruso and Columbia Pictures for with the intent of promoting these related products. This is done on purpose as it will make more money for the producers who will be able to sell the music and film while also further promoting the film since the music will be sent out to different music charts, channels and albums. The film also simultaneously promotes the music video as it is can be found at the end of the film and therefore can be sold on VHS (at the time of release) DVD, TV and internet.
The lyrics match with the purpose of promotion for the film as they pretty much just describes the Men In Black organisation that the film is based around with the some of the visuals showing clips from the film and then towards the end the remaining time being taken up with a dance number. Again this is to promote the film as those that have brought the album or have seen the music video on the internet or a music channel may become interested in the film it is based on while also not having the film spoiled as the music video doesn't contain any specifics on the plot of the film.
The video also plays to a lot of Andrew Goodwin's theory as the genre of the music is hip-hop it has a dance number to go with it which includes an alien so that it still links with the sci-fi genre of the movie it is based of. There is also links between the visuals and lyrics as when Will says "Here comes the MIB's" Will is shown coming in a car with agents in a car. And later on Will says "Means what you think you saw you did not see" when he says this he shows a card which then disappears. The lyrics are used in parts to link with the visuals of the film that are shown in parts such as when Will says "extraterrestrial violence" a clip from the film is shown of a car being destroyed by a falling fire ball. This is used many times throughout the film to attract the audiences attention to the film and give them information without spoilers.
The song also features intertextuality as a lyric from "Forget Me Nots" has been referenced and rewritten from "I want you to remember" to "They won't let you remember" in reference to the neutralizers memory erasing capabilities and Patrice Rushen the artist of "Forget Me Nots."
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