Animatic

Applying theory to my media text.

-My initial ideas displayed in the animatic can be supported by theorist Rick Altman who stated that genre offers a 'set of pleasures' to the audience. In particular, emotional pleasures which occur when the text creates a strong audience response. In my opinion, I feel my piece may strongly connect with its teenage target audience as it illustrates the typicality of teenage life; signifying a 'teen spirit' and carefree nature. Therefore, I feel the piece may trigger a strong audience response from the target audience as they may feel connected with the action.
-This coincides with the Frankfurt School's Hypodermic Theory which suggests that media texts 'inject' views and ideas directly into the audience's brains of the audience like a hypodermic needle, therefore controlling the way the audience think and behave. Consequently, it can be argued that the creation of my text may influence the audience to believe certain things; for example influencing them to believe the video represents their carefree nature and therefore connecting them with its content.
-However, Stuart Hall also suggests that texts have a preferred meaning from the audience, and this may not be what the text intended to mean but will be read due to the audience's cultural and social influences. This suggests that although I intend my text to connect with the audience by displaying their intentional teenage/carefree nature in a positive light, the teenage audience may individually take this differently depending on individual circumstances. However, this was expected with the creation of my text as with all media texts, so by ensuring my text isn't specified for a particular set of teenagers with a certain cultural background, this shouldn't be a problem for my video. Therefore, according to Umberto Eco my video could be considered an open text that is deliberately ambiguous and can be read in a number of ways by the audience. Although it has a preferred reading (one which is pinned down with the process of anchorage with the theory by Roland Barthes) as displaying teenagers to be free-spirited in a positive way, some may perceive the video to portray teenagers in a negative light as reckless as my animatic displays an array of different shots and styles; appearing disorganised and effectively representing this reckless nature. Consequently, according to Roland my text can be considered polysemic; it can be portrayed to have more than one meaning depending on how the individual views it and what connotations arise etc.
-My text also disputes John Berger's idea of the 1970's where he believed 'men act and women appear' as if males are the more superior sex and therefore women are considered less important. This is because both male and females are portrayed equally in my video; none viewed less capable than another. This then ables my video to be aimed at teenagers of both sexes equally without bias toward one sex.
-My video can also be seen to coincide with the narrative theory of the 'Art Clip' where the main difference between an Art Clip and a pure Performance Clip is the music; Art Clip's tend to be consisting of more modern, experimental music such as electro-acoustic music. Therefore, this greatly represents the creation of my music video as the music falls within the indie/rock genre with a concept of psychedelic rock and therefore can be considered an 'Art Clip' with abstract qualities. However, my video also contains parts of performance with the idea of written boards to display featuring lyrics as seen in Bob Dylan's music video, Subterranean Homesick Blues where some lyrics are displayed on boards so that the audience can view the lyrics visually and therefore interpret possibly further meaning, or connect greater with the song.

Organisation of specific action, costume and props

I then decided to summarise each character's action on separate pieces of paper to ensure the action was split equally. Also, this made it easier to organise the filming of each character as I could easily organise where I wanted them to be and what I wanted them to do etc.

Storyboard

 

The colour coding beside each illustration matches the colour coding I have used in my original ideas. Now the colours signify the 5 characters as A, B, C, D and E. This is so that when it comes to filming, I can easily organise the actions that each character should perform in front of the camera.

Initial ideas

This image indicates me splitting my track up to the different speeds it contains and when it changes. I thought this would make it easier when planning the action in what order as I could match the action with the speed of the track.

The above images illustrate the splitting of every shot, labelled with action. I thought this would help when creating my storyboard as I will have an initial idea of what action is going to go where, which would make it easier to illustrate and plan more effectively. The color coding I have used signifies a different character (5 characters, one for each color). I did this as I want my video to appear care-free and almost unstructured, so wanted to ensure each character isn't participating in some action more than another, or that one character's action wasn't too close to the last. However, I wanted some action to link with lyrics and particular characters, so had to structure it carefully to ensure the end product won't look too mismatched and unstructured. The shots are split carefully on the beat changes of the song in mainly 2 or 3 second splits, however I understand this may change rapidly as I begin filming, but thought it was best to have a clear structure before starting. The purple asterisks illustrate a performance element, so when miming is taking place or lyrics are illustrated using physical boards. I decided a performance element was an important factor to a music video, as it allows the audience to connect with the song, narrative or artist. However, I still disliked the idea of performance being a huge part of the video, as I wanted the narrative to be significantly addressed. This is the reason behind my idea of using boards; it still connects with the audience and illustrates the song, but it has a creative element which corresponds with my narrative. 

Above is Subterranean Homesick Blues by Bob Dylan. This is a video that illustrates the idea of physical lyrics effectively whilst still allowing an element of performance. I definitely took some inspiration from this video as it demonstrates the idea of an "alternative" performance extremely well as it forces the audience to read the lyrics, and furthermore connect with the song and its meaning.

MGMT - Kids lyrics

You were a child,crawlin' on your knees toward it.Makin' mama so proud,but your voice was too loud.
We like to watch you laughing.You pick the insects off plants.No time to think of consequences.Control yourself.Take only what you need from it.A family of trees wantin',To be haunted.
Control yourself.Take only what you need from it.A family of trees wantin',To be haunted.
The water is warm,but it's sending me shivers.A baby is born,crying out for attention.Memories fade,like looking through a fogged mirrorDecision to decisions are made and not boughtBut I thought,this wouldn't hurt a lot.I guess not.
Control yourself.Take only what you need from it.A family of trees wantin',To be haunted.
Control yourself.Take only what you need from it.A family of trees wantin',To be haunted.
Control yourself.Take only what you need from it.A family of trees wantin',To be haunted.
Control yourself.Take only what you need from it.A family of trees wantin',To be haunted.
Control yourself.Take only what you need from it.A family of trees wantin',To be haunted.

Control yourself.Take only what you need from it.A family of treeeeees...


These lyrics can be interpreted to connote childhood and childhood experiences. Both first and second stanzas symbolize discovery and the urge to explore when young - "crawlin' on your knees", "no time to think of consequences". The repetition of "control yourself" can be interpreted as being able to take control of personal actions; the idea that a person can make decisions for themselves and have personal freedom. As well as this, the repetition of "take only what you need from it" suggests living life recklessly and enjoying it while it lasts without wasting time on things that are not needed or that are of little importance.
From this, I think the song symbolizes freedom and the ability to live recklessly with the suggestion of the independence and carelessness that is experienced within teenage years or possibly childhood.  

Audience feedback

I played the above people my change of song, and asked them "What would you expect the video to look like now you've listened to the track?" Being such an open question, it allowed the speakers to give an in-depth, detailed response on their opinions about what they would expect to see based on the track. Being members of my teenage target audience aged 16 and 17, I thought it important to receive their responses.

Analysis of music video

The above video fits within the indie/rock genre of my chosen song, so by analysing it I can become more aware of the expectations of my video.

Form-Abstract-styled video without any continuity; many shots of different characters partaking in different activities. This creates a care-free spirit as the video seems to have no definite structure but simply illustrates the characters having fun and being 'young'.
- Lip-syncing or any form of performance is not present. This could be due to the style of the song; the tone of the video that is signified by the characters with their action is more relevant than expressing the song lyrics through performance. However, for my video I feel performance is an important aspect as although I want a care-free spirit from the characters to be signified, I feel making some connection with my teenage target audience is significantly important. This way, they may feel more connected and able to relate to the song.

Cinematography-Many low angles to portray height of characters and view characters jumping and climbing etc.
-Close-ups used to view expression of characters (laughing/still shots).
-Camera is never still - many zoom shots as camera slowly moves from centre and catches more of character's action; emphasises care-free effect.
-Long shots to view characters standing on high heights.
-Brief tracking shots to illustrate movement.

Editing-Some shots are bright (possibly natural) and have the effect of the sun altering the colour of the shots.
-Slow motion is used on almost every shot, enabling the action of the characters to be slowed completely and emphasises the care-free effect. With the action being so significant from the characters, the slow motion allows the audience to view it more clearly.
-Tie-dye effect is used at the beginning of the video and nearer to the end; reinforcing the reckless nature that the video portrays as it's wildly brightness may suggest carelessness and reflect the teenage era.
-The content of the video also coincides with the beat of the track; ensuring the material fits with the pace changes and tone of the track. This is a technique of connecting with the audience as the sound the audience hears corresponds with the material they are viewing on screen, therefore fulfilling their expectations.

Mise en Scene-Shot in outdoor spaces; hills, fields, street, sea, skate park etc. The settings also coincide with the tone that is created in the video; the reckless nature of the characters as they take part in outdoor activities as teenagers. The actions they take part in in these settings suggest destruction and carelessness with the violence they use such as hitting flowers, climbing on cars, throwing objects etc. This highlights their destructive nature as teenagers; fulfilling the expectations of the pro-dominantly teenage audience.
-Casual costumes worn by characters illustrate a typical teenage nature; makes a connection with the teenage audience as this may be the fashion they wear and expect to view on screen due to the indie/rock genre of the song. As well as this, it fits with the reckless/careless tone that is being created.

Sound-Sound track corresponds with the editing/pace of the action; slower paced shots are matched with the slower paces of the song and continuous jumping shots are used with the continuous repetition of beats etc.

Change of song

I have decided to change my song to Kids by MGMT.

This is because I felt for the type of video I wanted to create, I needed a song with more of a fast pace which could illustrate more action. I thought with my original song; How can You Swallow So Much Sleep by Bombay Bicycle Club, there was threat of the video becoming meaningless and mismatched as the song was of a slow pace so I was limited with the action I could illustrate.
MGMT is an artist that falls within the genre of psychedelic rock  - music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. In this genre comes the indie-pop/progressive rock sub genres; allowing the genre to be similar to the genre of my original song in the indie/rock genre.
The artist is from the United States and is known in the UK, but is not considered well known or a 'chart' artist, although they signed with Columbia Records in 2006. 
Examples of MGMT's narrative videos are below. . 

Below is an example of a Psychodelic rock band called Kula Shaker with their song Hush, which was particularly popular in the 1960's. Other examples of artists from this genre are The Beatles and Pink Floyd.

This artist also has a sub-genre of Indietronica, which can be defined as a genre that combines indie, electronica, rock and pop music. Typial instuments that are often used are the electronic keyboard, the synthesizer and the sampler. Below are some artist's who represent this sub-genre.

A massive influence to this change of song was the video Young Blood by The Naked and Famous, which I found when researching the indie/rock genre and receiving responses from my target audience. Every shot that is taken in the video is of great significance and holds a piece of intriguing activity in several different locations. The abstract-style video works tremendously with the message it is attempting to portray and I felt that to create such a successful narrative video, my song needed to be altered to one of a faster pace and a 'feel good' effect.

Evaluation of Deconstruction and Reconstruction of a Media Text Task

Process and Difficulties

For the deconstruction and reconstruction of a media text task, we decided to base our video on Twin Atlantic’s Make a Beast of Myself music video. This involved speeding the song up beforehand (1.6), filming the action in one single shot with other characters involved, and slowing the video down in order to match the lip sync filmed in the shot. We sped up the song so that the miming could be done quicker, and therefore the whole shot would be shorter overall so that when it came to editing the shot after slowing, it would be of a similar size to the song itself. For example, if we had filmed the shot with the miming done in time to the original song, after slowing down the shot it would be too long in comparison to the song.

We arranged to meet on a Wednesday afternoon (when the entire College had a free period) at Newland Avenue as this ensured many students were also free at this time, so they could act as the other characters in the video. However, the problem we found here was that two members of our group (myself) and another member of the camera crew (Jennifer) couldn't make it in this period, so we ensured we leaded in the storyboard and editing process so that group responsibilities were equally shared.
We went through each stage of the video during the storyboard process and described each shot in detail so that we knew exactly what to shoot when it came to filming. 
During the filming process, the characters had to be lined up exactly as seen on the video and their actions had to be carefully timed. The crew had to ensure that the miming of the main character (Danny), the characters' actions and the tracking of the camera crew were in time with each other. As expected, a number of shots were taken as it was extremely difficult to get all of the action in time with each other. Another difficulty the camera crew found was ensuring the concentration of the external characters were kept continuous and their performance of the given task was just as effective in the next shot as it was the previous – in order to create one single, effective shot. 
After the filming had taken place, the editing began. We uploaded all of the shots we had taken – even the ones we knew we weren't going to use – on an editing suite. We then named all of our shots appropriately; chose the most effective single shot that would match the criteria, and dragged it onto the timeline. We then added the song at its regular speed, and slowed the shot down to what we thought was appropriate. The difficulty we found here was that it was extremely difficult to match the speed of the shot with lip sync to the speed of the original track; we found that although the lip sync started off perfectly, the more the video went on, the more the lip sync began to un-sync with the song lyrics. 
To solve this, we decided to drag the same video shot across (so we had two versions of the same thing on one timeline) and continue to chop the video and change the speed until it became similar to the original. We then cut the first shot where the miming became out of sync (so we were left with only the perfectly synced part of the shot) and then cut the second shot so that when we put both of the shots together, it looked like one continuous shot. It was difficult to get both of the shots to look simultaneous and without it looking like it jumped from one shot to another.
Eventually, we solved this problem and the shot looked continuous and in sync.


What I learnt

• The difficulties of working in a group in terms of individual ideas. Working in a group is definitely something I wouldn't choose to do when creating my music video as by working singularly, I can make all of the decisions and be in control of the whole project. 
• The difficulty of working with external characters in terms of concentration and controlling the project, therefore I think large numbers of external characters is something I will try to avoid (although I suspect separate shots will be much easier to control). 
• How to use the editing suites to my advantage, including the speeding and slowing down of data, cutting shots and adding special effects; something I can definitely take with me to the creation of my own music video. 
• I regret not being able to witness the filming first-hand, as I feel I would have been able to contribute a lot more of my ideas and take a lot more from the process.

Finished Deconstruction and Reconstruction of a Media Text

Twin Atlantic - 30 second storyboard