SP - Directors in Music Video

Chris Cunningham:

Chris Cunningham made his directorial debut in 1997 with the music video for "Come to Daddy" by Aphex Twin, which was instantly praised, banned, and raved about by many people in the business. He followed up by making the music video for "Windowlicker" by Aphex Twin, and the astounding "All is Full of Love" video by Björk. Recently, he made his short-film debut, "Flex,". His incredible style alone makes him a director to watch out for in later years.

 

Michel Gondry:

He grew up in Versailles with a family who was very influenced by pop music. When he was young, Gondry wanted to be a painter or an inventor. In the 80s he entered in an art school in Paris where he could develop his graphic skills and where he also met friends with whom he created a pop-rock band called Oui-Oui. The band released 2 albums ('Chacun tout le monde' and 'Formidable') and several singles until their separation in 1992. Gondry was the drummer of the band and also directed their video clips in which it was possible to see his strange world, influenced by the 60s and by his childhood. One of his videos was shown on MTV and when Björk saw it, she asked him to make her first solo video for 'Human Behaviour'. The partnership is famous: Gondry directed five other Björk's videos, benefiting by the huge budgets. This led to commissions for other artists around the world, including Massive Attack. He also made a lot of commercials for Gap, Smirnoff, Air France, Nike, Coca Cola, Adidas, Polaroid and Levi - the latter making him the most highly-awarded director for a one-off commercial. Hollywood became interested in Gondry's success and he directed his first feature movie Human Nature (2001), adapting a Charlie Kaufman's scenario, which was shown in the 2001 Cannes Festival. Although it wasn't a big success, this film allowed him to direct Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004), for which he again collaborated with Charlie Kaufman. The movie became a popular independent film and he and his co-writers won an Oscar for it.  

 

Spike Jonze:

Spike Jonze made up one-third (along with Andy Jenkins and Mark Lewman) of the triumvirate of genius minds behind Dirt Magazine, the brother publication of the much lamented ground-breaking Sassy Magazine. These three uncommon characters were all editors for Grand Royal Magazine as well, under the direction of Mike D and Adam Horovitz and Adam Yauch before the sad demise of Grand Royal Records. Jonze was also responsible for directing the famous Beastie Boys: Sabotage (1994) (V) short film as well as numerous other music videos for various artists.

 

Anton Corbijn:

Anton Corbijn (born 20 May 1955) is a Dutch photographer, music video and film director. He is the creative director behind the visual output of Depeche Mode and U2, having handled the principal promotion and sleeve photography for both for more than a decade. Some of his works include music videos for Depeche Mode's "Enjoy the Silence" (1990) and Nirvana's "Heart-Shaped Box" (1993), as well as the Ian Curtis biopic Control, George Clooney's The American and theA Most Wanted Man based on John le Carré's 2008 novel of the same name. 

Mark Romanek:

Mark Romanek (born September 18, 1959) is an American filmmaker, whose directing work includes feature films, music videos and commercials. He wrote and directed the critically acclaimed 2002 filmOne Hour Photo starring Robin Williams. His most notable music videos include "Hurt" (Johnny Cash), "Closer" (Nine Inch Nails), "Criminal" (Fiona Apple), and "Scream" (Michael & Janet Jackson). His music videos have garnered 19 MTV Video Music Awards, including Best Direction for Jay-Z's "99 Problems" in 2004. He has also won three Grammy Awards for Best Short Form Music Video - more than any other director.

ALL - Vodcast Number One - Typical Codes & Conventions

RS + SP - Treatment

Treatment – Swillob Productions

ALL - Digipaks

Digipaks typically consist of a gatefold (book-style) paperboard or card stock outer binding, with one or more plastic trays capable of holding a CD or DVD attached to the inside. Since Digipaks were among the first alternatives to jewel cases to be used by major record companies, and because there is no other common name for Digipak-style packaging made by other companies, the term digipak or Digi-Pak is often used generically, even when the media holder is a hub or "Soft Spot" rather than a full plastic tray.

Source - Wikipedia

Codes and Conventions of a digipak:

• Front with the album artwork accompanied with the artist name and the album title
• Back cover typically with the tracklist including time of the songs. The back cover also typically contains:
• Bar Code
• QR code (becoming more common)
• Smallprint with copyright laws written
• Website for the artist
• Twitter/Facebook sites (becoming more common)
• Usually the bands record label logo can be seen
• Inside the digipak there is sometimes text displaying the names of the composers for each song in smaller print than the song title
• There is sometimes a small handout which contains further artwork, maybe some images of the artist playing live or possibly lyrics
• The actual CD can usually be found in the main part of the digipak in a plastic holder with two panels to each side
• Some digipaks have two cd's within the card case. One for the actual CD and another for behind the scenes or some sort of DVD
• Stickers are usually found on the front of the digipak saying "includes "...." in this album!"
• The outside of the digipak can use very bright and inviting colours to make it attractive on the shelve and then use darker colours inside the actual digipak.
• Digipaks are seen as the LP's of this century and can be seen as a collectable like LP's as they are much more interesting than a standard jewel case. 
• The spine of the digipak usually has the artist name, album name

Advantages of a digipak rather  than a standard Dual Case

• You can recycle the material used to make the digipak  as it is cardboard not plastic
• A digipak is cheaper to produce, making the distribution cost cheaper.
• A digipak is a more up to date version of an LP which is basically a 12'' square cardboard, showing a resemblance to a digipak. 
• They cannot crack like Dual cases can, however they could rip or eventually over time fall apart.

From research online I found a wide range of bands using digipaks in our genre showing that there is a market for them. 

However most notably Muse's most recent album "The Resistance" had three versions of the album for sale. 

The standard one was just a CD.

then for slightly more there was a CD+DVD 

Then finally there was a "deluxe edition" for a high cost which contained:
 
- CD+DVD in foldout softpak including The Making Of The Resistance DVD (43 minutes 53 seconds)
- 180g Double heavyweight vinyl
- Muse USB pre-loaded with WAV, Apple Lossless and MP3 320 files plus bespoke audio player
- 12" Art Print

This shows that there is a clear audience that is interested in buying the high budget collectables.

The Resistance - Deluxe Edition

ALL - Podcast Number Two - Casting, Locations + Muse's Genre

Sam Pollock and Will Spivey's post on Muse's Genre

WS & SP - The Genre of Muse

Before we can start to really plan our idea, we need to get a very good understanding of the genre and sub-genres for both Muse, and our chosen song in particular.

The main genre that Muse come under is Alternative Rock. We feel we need to get an understanding of this genre, in addition to looking at New Prog and Space Rock, the two genres that "Bliss" comes under. 


Alternative Rock
Alternative Rock is a sub-genre of Rock and can also be known as 'Alternative music','Alt Rock' or 'Alternative'.

"At times, "alternative" has been used as a catch-all description for music from underground rock artists that receives mainstream recognition, or for any music, whether rock or not. Alternative rock is a broad umbrella term consisting of music that differs greatly in terms of its sound, its social context and its regional roots." [Wikipedia]

Typical and common instruments used in Alternative Rock include: 

• Electric Guitar
• Bass Guitar
• Drums
• Key Board

Here is a quote from a blog we have found on Google:

"In alt-rock videos there is usually a narrative within the video that either tells a story that follows the lyrics of the song or the story will completely ignore the lyrics and be something random or something that still holds a meaning behind them but not necessarily what the lyrics have to say. As well as the narrative there is also a live a performance of the song by the band lip syncing and playing their instruments. The videos always have many cuts between the actual performance of the song to the narrative which usually stars the band as either portraying themselves or fictional characters."

As well as the above quote, we have also found an excellent 'Prezi' on the Alt. Rock genre and what the conventions are for this kind of music video.

Alternative Rock: Music Video Conventions on Prezi

We have now looked into the Alternative Rock genre, but there are also more specific genres for our actual song that we need to look into.


Space Rock

"Space rock is a subgenre of rock music; the term originally referred to a group of early, mostly British, 1970s progressive and psychedelic rock bands such as Hawkwind and Pink Floyd, characterised by slow, lengthy instrumental passages dominated by electric organs, synthesizers, experimental guitar work and science fiction or astronomical lyrical themes, though it was later repurposed to refer to a series of late 1980s British alternative rock bands that drew from earlier influences to create a more ambient but still melodic form of pop music." [Wikipedia]

Space Rock is one of the genres of the song 'Bliss'. As the above quote states it is a sub-genre of Rock Music. In addition to the quote from Wikipedia, I have also found the below quote:

"Space rock is largely an extension of psychedelic rock (and/or krautrock) and shares many of its similar mind-altering and atmospheric features. Its main features include the recreation of atmospheres that correspond to images of both outer and inner space. Some of the modern groups in this style also incorporate influences of reggae/dub." [The Guide to the Progressive Rock Genres]

These two quotes provide us with a clear view of what this genre is and where it comes from. Due to the references with space and astronomy aspects discussed in the first quote, it is clear why this particular video fits into the genre.


New Prog

 "New prog (also known as Nu prog, Post-prog or Post-progressive) is a term used to describe a number of recent alternative rock/experimental bands who incorporate elements from progressive rock. "New prog" has connections and overlaps with the post-rock movement, whilst frequently diverging with the indie scene." [Wikipedia]

The above quote is taken from Wikipedia. The reason this is interesting is that on there is a list of notable bands who have music associated with the genre. Muse are included in that list along with the likes of 'Radiohead' and '30 Seconds To Mars'  

A useful website with a large amount of information on Prog Rock can be found here. The site includes definitions, musical and other characteristics.


Common instruments in the genre include:

• Guitar
• Bass
• Keyboard
• Piano
• Drums

SP - Codes and Conventions of Music Videos

Music videos contain different storylines and meanings, which are portrayed through various ways:

Goodwin's Theory:

Performance - Where the band or the music artist is playing the song throughout the video.

Narrative - Where the song involves a narrative and so, the words and meaning of the song is acted out in some way. 

Concept - Where a music video is based on a single, random idea or concept

However you can have some different ways of approaching a music video:

Mixture - Where there is the musician playing as well as a narrative storyline occurring and the camera cross cuts to each scene. 

Animation - Some music videos involve animation that is edited in, this creates creativity and entertainment to the video. 

Camera: Depending on what the style of the music video is, depends on the type of camera angles that are used, such as:

Crane shots - These are used especially when there is a usage of stages and where the musicians is performing. The crane shots are able to hover around the stage from many different angles to capture what is happening.

Pans/tilts - These are to move to each performer and can also be used to show the location as it pans around which is very effective.

Close ups - They focus on the musicians as their mouths move to the lyrics as well as when there is a narrative and there are close ups on the characters to show their emotions, which suit what the song is about. There are usually close ups on instruments and certain, significant props.

Tracking shots - These are used to track the band members if they move whilst playing their instrumets.

Editing and Sound: The editing process in music videos takes a lot of time and is a crucial part of music videos. ThIS is because, the shots and need to be selected. The lip synching definitely needs to be edited so that the musicians look as though they are actually singing the song at the exact same time as the music playing. Some editing techniques include:

Jump cutting

Footage used is edited to match what is said in the lyrics of the music, as part as parallel editing.

Split screens

CGI effects-many music videos use effects to show impossible outcomes such as superhero moves and flying.

Choosing to include diegetic sound-at the beginning and ending of some music videos, there are scenes without any music to explain what is going on and to start or finish the narrative.

Changes in the levels of sounds- in certain areas of the song, the music level changes for effect, narrative reasons or to suit what is going on.

Mise-en-scene: Mise en scene is important in music videos as it includes:

Props - All music videos contain props depending on the genre and type of song it is, such as, if it is a performance style video, there would be performance equipment, instruments, and stages and lighting.

Costume - This also depends on the lyrics of the song as well as the genre. Certain performers will have different outfits suiting what they are representing in the video.

Location - The setting for music videos basically sets the scene immediately and many settings used are simple settings where many people can relate to.

Mise en scene in different genres: Many music videos have certain elements that make them have various vibes to represent the view of the music tribes, such as:

Hip hop music videos use quite dark colours, simple settings and there are portrayals of women to show their sexuality, which appeals to males. On the other hand, the majority of hip hop music artists are males and so, females are the fans.

Pop music videos feature the usage of many bright colours, flashing lights and creative settings and backdrops. The colours would appeal to mainly younger audiences as many pop artists are young and express themselves through the lyrics of pop music, as well as their costumes that make the musicians look innocent and relatable.

Rock music videos have dark colours throughout and use simple settings. Many videos contain the use of music equipment such as drums and guitars, which is why many rock musicians do performances in their videos. There is a lot of emotion in the videos through the characters and musicians facial expressions, and normally they do not portray happiness in the music videos as they relate the lyrics and meaning of the song to the storyline and emotions.

R'N'B music videos are similar to hip hop videos as they contain simple settings and many show women dressed in revealing clothes. Also, these videos have an element to portray wealth and power through the use of cars and jewellery due to the costume and setting.

Jazz music videos contain bright lights and are often of performances on huge stages. Costumes include suits for the men and sophisticated dresses for women as well as classy hairstyles and bright make up, with the use of old fashioned microphones. The overall view of these videos are to portray sophistication and elegance. 

Others codes and conventions include:

1. Alot of cut shots and not too many transitions between shots

2. Very fast paced editing

3. Short takes

4. Male / female gaze

5. Lip syncing

6. Backing dancers

RS - Analysis of the Class Vodcasts

The idea of the comparison between two music videos and then creating a vodcast was to get a wider range of understanding from totally different genres, for example. A heavy metal track with a dance track. They are both very different and use different codes and conventions, however some may have similarities, such as having performance footage. From those two contrasting genre tracks we chose, we then identified key parts/scenes etc from the music video and then discussed them with our partners. We talked about mise en scene, location, shot types etc and compared how the different videos went their different ways because of the genre.

Sam Pollock - The Prodigy - Firestarter
Ben Hudson - Nine Inch Nails - The Perfect Drug

Firestarter

• Very fast paced editing
• High controversy when it was released (can be good as people want to see why it is controversial)
• Underground, dark location
• Black and white effect
• Scary for younger audience
• Strobe Lighting
• Performance/concept based
• Lip Syncing
• Some tv channels refused to show the song until after the watershed
• Older audience due to the scary aspects

The Perfect Drug

• Obvious inspiration from Tim Burton films
• Blue tint
• Concept and performance
• Gothic feel to it
• Dark location
• Inspired by Gustof Kilmet
• Intertextual reference to Lost Highway
• 15-24 audience
• Made in 1997
• £1m budget

Harry Knight - Martin Solveig - Hello
Kyle Meeson - Avenged Sevenfold - Afterlife

Hello

• There is an extended version which lasts 8 mins
• Extended version has a "short film" effect to it with the protagonist and his trainer talking
• Lots of shot variation
• Titles + Company Idents (both typical of a film opening NOT a music video)
• Diagetic sound in the video but not in the actual song
• Repeated shots
• Takes C+C from film
• Male stereotypes
• Antagonist - facial hair = bad guy
• Concept video

Afterlife

• Narrative Enigma (music videos can be non-linear so it leaves it polysemic and for the audience to work out what happens)
• Focus on frontman (typical of the genre)
• Performance and concept
• Made in 2006
• SFX - goes from white location to black every so often
• Leaves the audience working out what happens due to narrative enigma
• Dark clothing
• Band instruments change colours when they swap from the white location to the other
• White dove with dark location 
• Cut shots to tarantula and dove on multiple occasions
• Cut shots to band member dancing
• Cut shots to person running

Mel Abraham - Beyonce - Single Ladies
Will Spivey - Snow Patrol - Take Back the City

Single Ladies

• The whole video is one continous shot however broken up into parts
• 15-24 audience with female the main target however secondary audience is male because of the male gaze aspect to it
• Concept and performance
• Beyonce could be seen as a sex symbol to the male audience
• Black and White effect 
• Lots of shot variation

Take Back the City

• Released in 2008
• Reached number 6 in the UK
• 18-35 audience
• Male + female audience
• Concept
• Stop motion shots used in the video
• Very unusual for a music video
• Performance aspects too
• They held a competition allowing fans to appear in the music video (use of new media!)

Ellie Fry - Lady Gaga - Bad Romance
Gina Maunsell - Madonna - Material Girl
Jess Thorne -Rihanna - Umbrella

Bad Romance

• Released 2009
• The video contains elements of sex and not being in control of yourself
• Anti-feminist way towards women
• White clothing and big "dog" eyes to show her as innocent
• Narrative of her being bid on by men and then bought later (shows women as being bought just like toys/objects)
• Ends with Gaga getting revenge on the man that bought her by killing him
• The end shows her in black clothing and next to a skeleton (going against the C+C of a pop genre video)
• Intertextual Reference to Madonna with the iconic bra

Material Girl

• Released 1985
• 15-24 audience but both male and female
• Young actors in the video
• Male Gaze because of what the females are wearing
• Blonde, red lips + pretty attracts the males (male gaze)
• Female are attracted to it too because they want to aspire to be like her
• Narrative video
• Madonna compared to Marilyn Monro

Umbrella

• Jay-Z is in the music video therefore attracts his fans to this video because of him being it it
• Lyrics based on the weather in Britain
• Stayed in the charts for 7 weeks
• Risky clothing
• Only wearing Silver paint + tight leather clothing therefore attracting the male audience through male gaze
• SFX used in the video such as faked rain falling
• Background dancers
• High budget

RS - My Consumption of Music Videos

Youtube - The main way I watch music videos now is from Youtube. The reason for this is because of the ease of use. Instead of waiting for your favourite video to come on Kerrang you can instantly search for the song using the search bar and be watching your fave video in a matter of seconds. This new media has changed the way I watch music videos from TV back in the early 00's to just searching for the video I want online. Youtube has "related videos" to the side of the video you are watching so it is an easy to way to find videos which you possibly wouldnt somewhere else. This is useful to widen the range of your music/genre knowledge. Youtube is available on iPhone/Ipod Touch etc which yet again makes it even easier to acces music videos however some Youtube uploaders block their videos from being viewed on a mobile device! I now watch music videos on Youtube on a regular basis due to it being so quick and easy.

TV - I also view them on TV however no where near as much as I used to. The main reason I used to was because the music I loved at the time always got played on Kerrang however now it has changed and they play bands I don't really like anymore however I do watch it from time to time to see if anything good is on. At the time I used to watch it more often it was because it was so easy to just change to the channel on a satellite tv, and it was before Youtube had come along. On the odd occasion I will watch a "best of" or "greatest videos" etc program which are on Kerrang or other channels such as Q every so often which play the "best" songs/videos from a certain band in usually a one hour slot, this means I can watch a wide range of music videos from one artist in one sitting, therefore seeing if their videos take similar aspects. I have recorded a program from last year when it was "Muse Day" on Q. This program was showing all of the music videos from the band and with me recording the program I can watch it multiple times whenever I want thanks to new media and a Virgin TV box. This is a perfect example of a one off program which would make me stop watching online and change to TV. Currently I only watch music videos on TV rarely due to it being easier online or on a mobile device however in the past it used to be regularly.

DVD's - I own a few DVD's which contain just music videos, most notably the Depeche Mode DVD's "Videos 86.98" and the "Best of Vol. 1" This means I can watch the videos again and again easily by just playing the disc on a DVD player or PC. I watch these DVD's every once in a while because since I got the DVDs it is easier to just go onto Youtube and watch them.

Itunes - With the introduction of Itunes it is even easier to watch music videos on mobile devices due to the ability to buy and download music videos straight from the the online store. I have done this on countless occassions so that I can watch the music video over and over on a journey or something. I bought them when I had an iPod Classic however now because I have an iPhone it is easier just to use the Youtube app so I don't watch the videos I bought from Itunes as much now.

ALL - First Podcast - Meet the Group!

WS - The meaning of the "Bliss" lyrics

An important thing to do before coming up with any ideas for our Music Video is to have a clear idea on what we see as the meaning of the lyrics. Below are the lyrics for the song:

Everything about you is how I wanna be
Your freedom comes naturally
Everything about you resonates happiness
Now I won't settle for less

Give me all the peace and joy in your mind

Everything about you pains my envying
Your soul can't hate anything
Everything about you is so easy to love
They're watching you from above

Give me all the peace and joy in your mind
I want the peace and joy in your mind
Give me the peace and joy in your mind

Everything about you resonates happiness
Now I won't settle for less

Give me all the peace and joy in your mind
I want the peace and joy in your mind
Give me the peace and joy in your mind

Lyrics taken from AZ Lyrics

To look into the meaning of the song, I first used the internet to see what other people thought the lyrics meant. Rob already had an idea, as put forward in his pitch, but we felt it would be a good idea to get a number of views on the meaning before considering our idea. Here are some quotes that I have found:

"i think this song is about envying the way a certain person is...admiring the persons morals/views/way of life...etc"

"well personally i think this is more about admiring someone and realsing that they're just a bit 2 perfect, and admiration turns into envy which turns into hatred"

"i saw an interview in which matt bellamy said that this song is about loving somebody just for who they are and not wanting anything in return."

"I always thought bliss was about how he could see simplicity and so much joy in the lives of religious people. but could never really give himself completely to faith. but "I wont settle for less" kind of ruins that! yeah loving someone perfect"

"here's the synopsis of bliss one would get straight from the muse book (good bit of reading, i recommend it if you haven't already read it) it reads: "The seemingly summery lyrics belied a kind of world-weary bitterness from a protagonist who has seen too much yet strives for the unobtainable purity of innocence." well, there you have it, the published version of the meaning of bliss."

 "It is definately about admiring someone very much. Not necesarily combined with love, but it could be. He loves the way this person is, but he doesn't have to be IN love with her/him."

"the song is clearly about Matthew Bellamy's love and admiration for his idol, Thom Yorke."

"its about finding bliss. In the music video, he looks upon the other band member floating in the room: "Your freedom (freedom from the doubt in life) comes naturally." The guy in the room has natural bliss, where he has no doubt in his mind. Matt wants this. Weightlessness is a metaphor for this blissful state. Bliss is the ignorance of doubt. In the room, weightlessness comes naturally. Matt tries to "forget his weight" by falling in to the hole. When he closes his eyes, he can get the feel of this freedom/peacefulness."

 
 [All of the above quotes were taken from Songmeanings.net ]

Some of the above quotes refer to what they can see in the video, as well as the lyrics. For this reason I will put a link to the video, as Embedding has been disabled.


Muse - Bliss Video








 
Having looked at other people's views on the meaning, we then need to look at what we think is the meaning of the lyrics and the song. Our initial ideas are based on the idea Rob talked about in his pitch. After discussing the ideas for the meaning, we have decided that we agree that this is a likely meaning:

The protagonist is unsettled within himself. He is envious of another person who is settled with themself. The protagonist is also very jealous and wants to take away this person's perfection so that they no longer have to feel envy towards the person.

 The above is our first, initial ideas on the meaning of the lyrics. Initial ideas are also based around the lyrics, although these are likely to change over the course of the Video making.

Below is Rob's pitch so that you can view it to see his ideas more in depth, and hear him talk about his ideas regarding the lyrics: