Ed Sheeran - Lego House

This is the video for Ed Sheeran's Lego House. I only really watched the video properly today and was touched by the narrative that lies behind the song. I think that the video is a big eye opener into the lives of many fans nowadays and really shows how Dyer's star theory can be expressed visually. I like the fact that Rupert Grint was used as the fan as he is physically similar to Ed Sheeran which therefore made the idea of a fandom more realistic and more understandable.

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Digipak Analysis

Today we were asked to analyse digipaks from different CD's. Our digipak was from High School Musical, a children's musical DVD in which the songs have been put on to a CD. We were able to identify different aspects of the digipak we were looking at and also typical conventions of a digipak that we would expect to see on any digipak we look at. These include: title, image of artist, specific colours, song list and name on the spine of the digipak. Analysing this digipak has given me an insight into what digipaks look like and how my own one should look. 

What Is A Digipak?

A digipak is a type of CD cover however includes a great deal of information and significantly more images than a regular CD case. A digipak is usually used as a special edition or a re-release of an album. Digipaks can come as 4 panels or 6 panels but are generally used to look pretty and promote the album.

 

Rihanna - What Now

This is Rihanna's latest video for her song what now. When I first watched this video I thought that it was from a previous era/image that Rihanna had been through. The video appears very dark and almost gothic which is a phase that she has already been through as part of her singing career. This made me question whether she is going back into a previous phase or whether she does not enjoy the sexual image that she and many other women have right now.

Dizzee Rascal - Love This Town

 

Dizzee Rascals new video for his song Love This Town is a great video which tests stereotypes. The video is not what viewers think it to be when first seen. Throughout the video, the boys are portrayed as an intimidating gang which terrorise the street however, they in fact do the opposite and help the people in the town in which they live. I like this video as it does not conform to stereotypes and sends out a strong message that not all teenagers are negative. It also shows that even if people look scary, they are in fact normal people who are just like everyone else.

Controversial Music Videos

 

The original video for Robin Thicke's 'Blurred Lines' starred all of the women in the video completely naked (besides small underwear) dancing around the three men. This video is very supportive for Laura Mulvey's male gaze theory. This video appeals to men because of the nudity and also highlights the fact that women are being degraded.

 

 

Rihanna's video for 'Pour It Up' features women dancing erotically throughout the entire video. Again this would support the male gaze theory as men would enjoy seeing women dancing half naked on a pole. This video has been classified as controversial as it was banned in just 10 minutes of being released!

 

 

Miley Cyrus as an individual has become a topic of discussion and a controversial character. Miley Cyrus is best known for her alter ego Hannah Montanna which was a television show on the Disney Channel. This means that her audience was young girls aged from 5 to 12. Now moving on from that phase she is still popular however, her tastes and appearance has changed and this can be seen in her new single 'Wrecking Ball'. She can be seen swinging on a ball wearing no clothes and also dressed in provocative ways throughout the video. This is inappropriate for who her target audience was and shows how her fan base would change.

 

Miley Cyrus's image could also be explained by Dyer's star theory. Dyer said that a star is a construction and the fact that Miley Cyrus has changed from a 'girly' girl to a sex icon suggests that her managers have altered her image to suit the era that we are living in. They have changed her so that she keeps up to date with the current styles and trends.

Rihanna And Her Image

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Look Right Through - Storm Queen

 

I was watching the top 10 charts for the week and I saw this video at number 2. It stood out most to be because it is extremely abstract. After studying music video types, I found it particularly interesting to see this video and apply my knowledge to it.

 

 

Meatloaf - Anything For Love

This is the video for Meatloaf's 'Anything For Love' that was directed by Michael Bay.

Andrew Goodwin - 50 Cent

a-ha Take On Me

Being a huge 80s fan, I like to see what the videos were like in comparison with the modern day. I think that this video by a-ha has a great concept and seems very advanced for the era. Take on me was released in 1985 and sold 500,000 copies in the UK. The video also required a lot of effort in making. The band was actually put in touch with Mike Patterson - an animation artist from Warner Brothers in Los Angeles. He drew each of the different frames and used the rotoscope technique to build the image. This is where the drawings are constructed over live action frame by frame. Mike drew over 3,000 drawings for this video and the song and video were a great hit, especially in the US where it was played on MTV for a year.

I like this video because it combines reality with sketch. It is interesting to watch and it fascinates me to think that these sorts of techniques were used in the 80s. Although watching the video you can see it is from the 80s, it is still a video I would expect to see in the modern day. I like that this video is abstract in the fact that it is not something you would expect to see and I think the animation of the video has helped to make the narrative more interesting.

Music Timeline

Importance of a music video

This diamond structure expresses the importance of a music video by rank in the opinion of myself and my classmates. At the top of the structure lies the most important factor and at the bottom lies the least important.

Research into the music video industry

Evaluation of A Level Music Videos

This video has multiple editing techniques and addition of animation which enhance the video. However, there are aspects of the video that make it less successful. The use of slow motions works effectively within the action as it allows the audience to focus on what is happening and it highlights the action in the scene. One issue with this video is that the lighting is used very effectively. In the beginning of the clip when the male is singing, the lighting within the frame made it very difficult to see his face and therefore difficult to identify whether he was singing or not. This means that it becomes harder to see what his character is and what his role was at that time. Another issue was that the lip syncing was slightly off in the edit. This means that the words are not being sung properly and therefore makes the piece look out of sync. Although the characters were defined throughout the piece, the lack of sync between the music and the singing made the piece look rushed and amateur. In this video, the conventions of a music video are also challenged. Generally, music video's will have the credits at the beginning of the clip however this video had them at the end. I don't think this worked particularly well as it looked as though the credits were forgotten and quickly added on at the end. I think that the group could have benefitted from more time put into the making of their film and a stronger plan before hand to ensure that everything runs smoothly and then if necessary, re takes can be made.

I like this video. I think that the lip syncing has worked extremely well. The girl pronounces every word properly which makes the idea of her 'singing' the song much  more believable. The video is also very simple using only a green screen as the majority focus within the video. It shows that videos do not need to be complex to be effective. The use of stop motion also shows that the individual can use a range of techniques when producing a music video. One thing that I think could be improved about the video is a short shot within the chorus where the girl breaks eye contact with the camera whilst singing. In my opinion it looks as if she has forgotten the words and is looking at a prompt to help her remember. I think it would have been better to reshoot the scene however it does not have a major impact on the rest of the video as I think the entire thing works effectively.

Infographic about music videos

Music Videos  | Infographics

Dyer Essay - To what extent does a pop stars image influence their audience.

Dyer’s star theory suggests that pop stars are created and manipulated by their managers and are a construction of what is believed to be a ‘pop star’. Pop stars are not ‘real’ people. They are based upon an idea that is generated by society and then they are moulded into this idea.

Managers make a pop star unique to appeal to their audience. Certain characteristics or personalities are connected with the pop star which then makes them an icon. There are many examples which support the unique style of a pop star, both past and modern. Madonna is a very well-known and popular artist. She was particularly prevalent during the late eighties and nineties. Through these eras her appearance changed many times and even now there is a definite difference in her appearance and personality.  Madonna is remembered for wearing a golden cone shape bra. People who support Madonna would have seen this item of clothing as iconic and may have even bought or made one for themselves.  When she was switching through phases, particularly for different songs, her audience may have copied her looks to feel more connected with her.

Without a unique aspect, Dyer said that the individual would not be a successful music artist. This is because they have nothing about themselves to stand out so a development of a connection between the audience and the artist becomes very difficult to construct. It is difficult to relate to a person who has no appeal and so their popularity will begin to decrease.

This demonstrates that having a unique image is important for being successful and that it has a major impact on the audience. If there is no appeal, the audience are not interested. This suggests that the audience want something to imitate or to work towards to become like a person and so an image of some kind is imperative.

Dyer identified the concept of fandom and the idea that people could be more than just a ‘fan’ of an artist or group. Fandom relates to obsession with artists whereby the love for the music and idolising the artist is developed to extremes. Fandom can be seen, in some ways, as stalking. It is a lengthened obsession where the fans want to be just like the artists. They attend every gig and wait for hours before and after shows to see them, even if the chances are slim. They adopt features of the artist which make them feel closer on a personal level. However, these features may not even be real; they may be purposely manipulated onto the artist as they know it will make an appeal to the audience.

This shows that the image of a pop star is incredibly influential upon the audience. If there is an aspect of an artist that is abstract or no one has seen it before, their audience is more likely to pick up on it and want to incorporate it into their own image.

Overall the image of a pop star is highly influential upon their audience. An image is needed for success as this attracts audience attention. Sometimes, attention can be negative however; attention is still being given which still therefore promotes the artist. An image is an icon and people look up to their icons. A unique image provides this iconic factor which helps the audience to relate and feel as a part of the group.

Jonathan Glazer

Analysis Of A Music Video - Script

I am analysing Eminem’s music video for Stan.  The video was directed by Philip Atwell and Dr Dre and was released in the UK March 2002. The structure for this video is a narrative meaning that it tells a story through the visuals. The video denotes a woman trying to regain the love of her obsessed boyfriend who is dedicating all of his time and attention to his idol, Eminem.

There is little evidence of Propp’s theory within this video. Characters that are present include the hero, which is Eminem, the villain that is Stan and the princess which is Dido.

Todorov's theory can be applied to this video. The beginning of the video demonstrates an equilibrium in which both characters are living together and tolerating each other. Neither character is happy – She wants him back and he wants Eminem but nevertheless there was still an equilibrium. She was also pregnant with his child and they were going to build a family together. This then becomes disrupted when Stan gets upset one day as Eminem does not reply to his letters and so he kidnaps his girlfriend and puts her in the boot of his car. He is torturing her along the journey and then drives over the edge of a bridge. The new equilibrium is the death of both characters.

Strauss's theory of binary opposition can be seen through this video. There is an element of famous VS non - famous whereby Eminem is the famous character and Stan is the non - famous character. The use of these opposites demonstrate Stan's desire for fame and his desire for Eminem. Also, because each of the characters look alike, the binary opposition helps to create an idea that Eminem was once just like Stan. The way they dress is the same and the way they talk is the same. This could be where Stan became inspired by Eminem and then fell in love with him.

Another example of a binary opposition within this video is male VS female. The male being Stan and the female being Dido. They compete against each other for what they want out of their lives. In the end, Stan believes he has won, he kidnaps his girlfriend which therefore prevents her from getting what she wants. This conforms to a stereotype of males and dominant over females. However, the fact that they both die suggests that  no body wins as neither one get what they desire.

Goodwin's theory of the 6 features that a media text must have can also be recognised throughout this piece. In several parts of the video, there are connections between the music video and the lyrics.

(In this part of the video Dido sings 'it will all be grey' and as this happens the camera pans across the pictures of Eminem on the wall and they are seen in a grey scale colour)

(In this part of the video Stan is saying how 'he got a tattoo with your name across the chest' and the visuals show him getting a tattoo of Eminem's nick name 'Slim Shady'.)

(in this part of the video, Stan is singing about when he met Eminem and the visuals then take the audience to the music store where Eminem was signing autographs. This is where Stan gets to meet and hug his idol for the first time)

A final example of the relationship between the lyrics and video Is when Stan is saying 'sometimes I even cut myself to see how much it bleeds'. At this point, there is a picture of a red handprint on a blank page which looks as if it had been covered in blood and pressed onto the paper.

Another element is voyeurism. This is where aspects of the video look as if they have been filmed without the actor knowing they are there. An example of this can be seen here when Dido is sitting on the floor and singing. She isn't looking at the camera and it seems that she doesn't realise it is there. This could also be seen when she sits on the toilet. This is a private situation that is not filmed as it is very personal.

Voyeurism can also be seen when Stan is in the basement looking at the 'shrine' he has created for Eminem.  Again, it is a personal moment for Stan and is not something that would be shared with everyone.

Iconography must be seen in a music video for it t be successful. Iconography can be seen through the appearance of Eminem. Eminem has blonde hair and at the beginning of the video we see that Stan dyes his hair blonde. This shows that he sees Eminem as an icon and wants to be like him. Also, throughout the song, Stan sings a line saying that his brother is a big fan of Eminem, even bigger than he is. This is then recognised at the end of the video when his brother takes down his hood in the cemetery and has blonde highlights in his hair.

It is also important for the video to display close ups of the artist. This promotes the artist and gives the audience an image to remember and identify with. Close ups of Eminem can be seen here (3.41) and here (6.23). His face is clear in the shot each time and is the only focus within the frame. It helps the audience to remember his face. Also, because it promotes him as an artist, if they see his album in a shop with his face on in, they are more likely to link it back with the video and therefore buy the album.

Dyers theory of fandom suggests that people share a love for a specific topic. Stan is a clear fan of Eminem and this can be seen through many aspects of the film. The idea of fandom can also be said to be extreme where the fan becomes infatuated with artist and does obsessive things.

Stan has become obsessive of Eminem. He has a room dedicated to Eminem where the walls are covered in his pictures. He always sends letters to him hoping for a reply, not realising that has a famous person, he does not always have time t read and reply. Stan also got a tattoo of Eminem's nick name 'Slim Shady' across his chest. This connotes a commitment to Eminem and the idea that he will never leave him. It also shows that Eminem is a part of him and that part will never die.

Stan also explains during the song how he cuts himself to see how much it bleeds. He cuts himself for Eminem so that he can get a thrill out of what he is doing. It could also be used as a sympathy line to gain attention from Eminem and see if it will affect his chances of being with him.

Stan is in love with Eminem so much that he even sticks pictures of them together to make them look like a couple. This sort of action is not stereotypical of a grown man but more of a teenage girl. Nevertheless, it still shows how Stan feels about Eminem and what he wants to happen in the future.

Everywhere Stan looks, Eminem is there. Not only is there pictures around his basement, the small television always plays footage of Eminem. Another way in which this can be seen is in the car. When he takes his girlfriend a picture can be seen hanging from the centre mirror; it is an image of Eminem. When the car crashed, the image falls to the grown connoting that as they have died, the love for Eminem has also died and he does not exist in Stan's life anymore.

Dyer also said that artists must have a uniqueness which makes them different from everybody else. Eminem is unique in several ways and one of them is the fact that he is white. Stereotypically, when Eminem first came into rap, all other rap artists were black. He was the first white artist which definitely made him stand out from the crowd. As a result of being so different, it could be said that this is why Stan fell for him so much. Eminem had the courage to stand up and do what we wanted and so Stan wants to do the same thing.

Eminem's blonde hair is also iconic to Eminem. The hair represents his youth and how he portrayed himself when he was younger. Now, Eminem has gone back to his natural hair colour and is becoming a mature artist that is representative of his age.