Choosing locations

For our preliminary video we want to shoot at multiple locations as we don't want it to look too amateur or boring.
We have chosen 4 different locations, in the hope that each will capture a different personality trait of the protagonist of the narrative.

Our first location is a field at Walton Dam, it has long grass with wild flowers (basically a field) which we think will express her wild and carefree nature. I can't find a picture of the exact field on the internet, and I haven't been down there yet to take a photo but this image I found is of Derbyshire which is where we are so is quite similar.

Our second location is outside Sheffield train station, by the water feature. At night time it lights up, looking very atmospheric.  However, although this seems like a brilliant idea we may face some difficulties regarding the lighting of the shots; we do want the footage to be quite dark but we need to be able to see it clearly.  This may be hard to achieve naturally. We are hoping that this location will help the viewers to visualise the protagonist's powerful, controlling side (highlighted through the lyric 'talking like a head strong momma').

Our third location is very simple (in theory), it's at sixth form, in front of the large black curtain that we use for the school shows. We had considered using the media department's green screen but we wanted to use lighting and are not sure how to do this using the screen. Since we are both A level drama students we know how to use the lighting deck, and change the coloured... bits of see-through plastic that go in front of each spotlight to tint the lights (I'm not doing technical theatre so don't judge my lack of knowledge on terminology).  We hope that through this we can create atmospheric footage from this. Furthermore, the shots filmed in this location will be very important as we wish to incorporate a theme of voyeurism, and 'break the fourth wall' by having Lois who is playing the protagonist directly face the camera, which we hope will have a great affect on the audience.  We are also going to film shots of my hands on Lois' face and neck because the song is largely about control. Hands will be a large theme in our 1 minute video.  We're not too sure why but we thought it would look cool in all honesty.  

Our final location is Scarsdale Ruin because we think it looks grand and since it is a protected property, it is probably a location that would be used in a high brow music video, as it is a place people go to look at for its beautiful architecture.

 

Our Preliminary Task

For our preliminary task we have been asked to create a 1 minute music video to a song of our choice. I am working with one of my best friends, Lois, which we thought would be a good idea because we are both very creative and have similar tastes, meaning there shouldn't be too many disagreements or disputes.
We have decided to create our music video for the song Hypnotic by Zella Day as we like the indie pop genre and style of it. I will embed the original music video below:

Shake it Off storyboard and planning

For our practice video we have chosen to recreate Shake it Off by Taylor Swift, as it is similar in style to Happy by Pharrel Williams, which is what our teacher suggested for us to do.
Although this was a short activity the pre- production process was still important and we decided to storyboard our ideas so we weren't going in blind when starting the production stage.

This was our story board: However, when we started filming it was disregarded  as improvisation created a spontaneous look to the video which we thought really fit the song.

Shake it Off - Taylor Swift Textual analysis

Since we have decided to recreate Taylor Swift's music video - Shake it Off, I am creating a textual analysis of it.
The song falls into the POP genre and the video contains many aspects that you would expect to find in a video of this genre, such as bright colours, many different sets and shots of the artist.


The video shows Taylor, dancing with many different social groups of people, purposely going against the style that they are performing in. This emphasises the message of the song which is that it is important to be yourself and just do your own thing without worrying about fitting in.  Each group is an archetype of a stereotype you find in a predominately American society, however it is still relatable for people of other nationalities.


The wide shots used throughout highlight how accepting each group is of Taylor's individuality, reinforcing the message of accepting who you are, and who others are. In terms of  Hall's Reception theory I would say most viewers would fall into the dominant or hegemonic reader category (as the message is clearly displayed through the bright costumes and sets, suggesting we should be happy with who we are) and fully agree with the moral. However, as the message is so obvious and widely agreeable, it may in fact have the effect of creating passive consumers who simply agree and give no greater thought to the issue of conformity, which is such a pressing matter in society today, (particularly to teens). This idea is supported by the hypodermic needle theory, which suggests that consumers are constantly, subconsciously fed messages by the media in a passive manner.

For this kind of video one would struggle to find an oppositional (non- hegemonic) audience as most people agree with the message, however someone who's social situation puts them in direct opposition to the dominant code may take a non- hegemonic view.  For example a person who has found themselves a social outcast throughout their childhood or school life may feel bitter about Taylor's positive attitude to being non conformist as they feel it is unrealistic.

Hall's Reception Theory

Stuart Hall is a cultural theorist born in Jamaica, who worked in the UK from 1951 whilst theorising the encoding and decoding model. Hall often focused on perception and also theorised the Audience Reception theory, which identified 3 different models of reading media texts.
The three types of reading were named

• Dominant (or hegemonic) reading: the reader fully shares the text's code and accepts and reproduces the preferred reading (a reading which may not have been a result of any conscious intention on the part of the author) - in such a stance the code seems 'natural and transparent'.

• Negotiated reading: the reader partly shares the text's codes and broadly accepts the preferred reading, but sometimes resits and their own position, experiences and interests (local and personal conditions may be seen as exceptions to the general rule) - this position involves contradictions.

• Oppositional (counter-hegemonic) reading: the reader, whose social situation places them in a directly oppositional relation to the dominant code, understands the preferred reading but does not share the text's code and rejects this reading, bringing to bear an alternative frame of reference (e.g. when watching a television broadcast produced on behalf of a political party they normally vote against)

4 Reccomended Music Videos

In our theory lesson we watched 4 music videos and were asked to create a textual analysis for each one:


The song SAN HOLO by Hold Fast is from the alternative dance genre, displayed by the fast pace and the flashing images in time with the beat.
To contrast to this upbeat genre the artist is represented as glum or depressed, through the use of dull, dark colours. This suggests that the artist is trying to detract from himself and make his audience focus more on the music rather than him.  This plays with the notion that some music is high brow and should be viewed and appreciated as an art form rather than entertainment. Furthermore, the idea of voyeurism is incorporated by the location; an art gallery with a frame on the wall.










The 1975 - Robbers falls into the indie/ POP genre. There is an evident contrast between the style and sound of this music video, compared to the previous video.  This video is low brow, appearing purposely trashy through the use of drugs, guns, and alcohol.





The song This Charming Man by The Smiths is of the indie genre. Gender is questioned in this video as the lead singer is wearing women's clothes and is swinging a bunch of flowers in his hand. This careless handling of the flowers suggests that the singer intends to mock the commercialised notion of love.



The next song is Martin Garrix- Don't look down, which is very mainstream compared to the other videos, and is of the dance/ pop genre. This is clearly highlighted through the bright colours throughout the video, The use of green screen suggests that the video was perhaps low budget, as they didn't pay for locations ect. Furthermore the 'tacky' and typically pop style video, with dancing and scantily clad women suggest that it is a low brow video for entertainment purposes only.
The Fourth video we watched is called Riptide by Vance Joy, and is of the indie pop genre. the video is very simple, with a photo/ video montage, each shot matching or relating to the lyrics.