In this workshop one of our teachers showed us the difference between the zoom lenses that we used last year for our opening title sequence compared to the primer lenses which we will be using for our music videos instead of the zoom lenses. The main difference between the two lenses is that the primer lenses can't zoom in and out like the zoom lenses but they do have a better quality video that you wouldn't be able to get with the zoom lenses. This is better because we can still get close up shots of the band or artist with a better quality of video and the only downside to the prime lenses is the fact that we have to keep on taking them on and off to get different shots but in the grand scheme of things that isn't much of a problem.
Then our teacher went on to talk about the fact that when people normally try and set up a band for a camera shot they normally go for the 'traditional' set up of having the band in the diamond sort of formation and he tried to get us to position the band in to a position that was different and unique to the music video. It is also good for creating a more interesting shot when we do start shooting our music videos so the audience don't get bored f watching our video.
This is Passenger and his star persona is that he is a very down to earth and normal guy who is successful but he does show a lot of shots from his concerts and gigs that are extremely aesthetically pleasing. This is his way of showing what style of performance he creates for his audiences and that he isn't just this singer/songwriter that just does folk music but instead he is this impressive and down to earth singer who can put on a good show for anyone who watches.
Panic! at the disco is a guy that plays pop-punk music that and are a very relaxed group of people who just mainly like to have fun and not worry about anything and this is shown in their music videos and their social media posts. Brendon Urie's star persona is very smart and fun as is shown in this Instagram post of him at Universal studios Horror Nights having fun showing that he still enjoys to do the things that everybody else does and just loosen up. This is also shown in his music videos where we see him just having fun with what ever it is he ends up doing.
Nickelback is a Canadian rock band that has been very successful with getting its songs into films even nowadays even though they were formed in 1995. This Instagram post is to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their album silver side up and this is advertising the album of the band as it is probably one of their better albums that was more successful and this is also a way fo the band promoting their own material to their audience to try and get a few extra streams.
Imaging Dragons are an American pop rock band that are from Las Vegas and have become big because of their lead vocalist Dan Reynolds. This Instagram post shows that Dan Reynolds is a popular figure and the Kelly Clarkson Show is a very popular American day time TV show and the fact that Big Shaq and Dan are on it together might hint at a collaboration of the two artists in the future.
In this Instagram post we can see Britney Spears modelling and this helps to create her star persona and of this successful and attractive singer that she is the face of so many different themes and this photo helps to show the playful side of Britney and it helps to let the audience connect to the artist more by showing that she is fun but professional.
This is Coldplay and they were formed in London in 1996 as a rock band but unconventionally for a rock band they have a pianist by the name of Chris Martin. This Instagram post shows the band Coldplay as they are working behind the scenes on a song while they are also trying too show the their relaxed and playful side as the band are having a laugh while also working on one of their songs in the final stages of the process that we don't know of exactly.
This is from Eminems (or Marshal Bruce Mathers III) Instagram and he is an American rapper, songwriter and record producer. This post is promoting the new Venom film that is coming out soon whilst he is also promoting a new song that he collaborated with three other songs to produce. The song is originally by Skylar Grey ft. Polo Capalot, Mozzy and Eminem. This post is connected to Eminems star persona because he does do a lot songs of his own when he asks other artists to feature in them and it shows that he is a good team player and happy to work with others.
Drake (Aubrey Drake Graham) is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter, actor and entrepreneur. In this post he is trying to advertise his new merchandise that is now available and the clothes are all very casual everyday clothing for everyone to wear when ever. The graphics on the clothing also are another way for him to promote and advertise a new single or album to anyone who sees someone wearing his merchandise.
This is Avicii (Tim Bergling) he was a Swedish DJ and died on the 20th April 2018 of self inflicted purposes. In this post of Avicii we see him working hard and this is most likely a staged shot because of the lighting and the focus of the camera and so he was probably modelling for this post. But this post serves as a way of showing his star persona by the use of the colours and the expression on his face and it shows that when he was working there wasn't anything that was more important than his music even though it did lead him to some problems later on in his life.
Social media is one of the key things that helps to promote a band or an artist because it is their way of getting their star persona out to their audiences.
Things to post:
Digital packs
Generic lifestyle
Recording booths/studios
Selling or marketing products
Tour dates
Outfits
Concert dates
Colour pallets and themes
Interests
Common types of Instagram posts:
Modelling type shot eg High fashion / make up
Live performance
Promotion of tour
Promotion of album / single
Announcing collaborations
Promotion of merchandise
Sharing magazine covers / chat shows they've been on
After we spoke to Luke we decided that it would be very difficult to do the skate boarder idea so we have changed the concept for the song so we now have decided to to do more of a garage band type of video. We first thought that it would be best to use the studio and show the band making graffiti on the walls of an abandoned area because we would like to still use the idea that the band was rebellious because this is the easiest thing that can be done from the idea that we had before and it also ties in quite nicely to how our idea has developed from what it was originally. Then we thought that we might be able to break the 4th wall a bit as well by using a few POV shots and watching the band try and get to an area that they are not supposed to be in and again this idea helps to further strengthen the idea that the band is rebellious and doesn't follow any rules except for the ones that they set for themselves and as they are running through the streets and climbing over fences they are heading towards the one of the sets where they are playing the song. And just before the band open the door at the end of the POV sequence we would cut to a different shot where the band are on the other side of the door playing their music.
In this music video Linkin Park are trying to show of everything that people have done to the world and because the band them self are in a desert for the whole time showing what will happen to the world if we continue doing what we are doing.
As you can see in this shot the landscape is very empty and barren making the whole area look very un-hospitable creating the impression that this band is very versatile and can perform anywhere and still put on a great show. The fact that the camera is so close to the ground helps to create the impression that the set that they are working in is almost like a mirage and isn't actually there and helps to create the whole euphoric impression of the band as they set up all of their equipment for the song and the low camera angles also make the band members look like they are of more divine with the clear skies behind them and the sun blazing in the sky. Throughout the whole intro to the song there are images of actual things that have happened in the world because of us as a species like the
period of time when the world was dealing with racism and the fact that the shots used are still in the quality of the camera that the moment was captured in and this makes the images seem more graphic because the audience are able to understand better that this stuff has actually happened and that wasn't just created for this music video to have a greater impact on the audience. There are also references to different riots that have happened all across the world showing that the aggression of humanity is one of the main causes of the problems that we have to deal with today in our modern society.
When the lead singer starts to sing the camera is put into a close up shot of his face with a really good quality of picture to contrast with and act as juxtaposition to the other camera shots which are generally of poorer quality. But then the camera cuts to more images of the problems in the world to say that 'yeah this band is cool but these issues are more important so acknowledge them'. One of the images shown reflects on the lyrics being sung when they say 'so let mercy come and wash away, What I've Done' and they show an image of pollution and how bad it has gotten in the world that it is still a big problem that we can't just forget about and they try and make the audience think about this more by having a video of a polar
bear swimming before they show the image of the pollution in the oceans. In these two different shots you can tell that two different cameras were used to capture the shot of polar ear compared to the shots of the pollution, but the fact that different cameras were used has helped to create more of a narrative to each of the shots by having the shot of the polar bear be brighter showing the purity and grace of the animal in its habitat compared to the darker and dull coloured shot of the pollution creates more of a sombre and dark mood of how we are damaging the world and all of the other organisms that live in it.
This music video uses a lot of juxtaposition to try and convey its message to its audience and create an impact that would invoke action in people who watched this music video because another one of their contrasting shots is by showing a fat guy stuffing his face with a burger or something and having someone measuring their waist line compared to the scenes of starvation in Africa which was problem when this music video was made and is still a problem now and they do this by showing pictures of people in Africa who look extremely malnourished and very thin. All of these different uses of
juxtaposition and contrasting different areas of the world is a way for the band to show their star persona of a band that cares about what is going on in the world and to show that they are a group of people that don't want this to go unnoticed.
The fact that Linkin Park were able to put images of the KKK into their music video shocks me because they are a small percentage of the population that have caused so much pain towards a lot of people the use of this image makes the impact even more powerful as the band is group of people that probably have influenced of people as they have grown up but the fact that they are getting people to come to grips with the fact that the KKK were a problem in the world and the song is about righting all the wrongs that civilisation has made and if that means bringing up one of the darker topics of the past to try and change the
future. Another one of the more questionable images that they have decided to show in their music video is Hitler and the Nazis and this is just another example of what is wrong in the world and what we need to try and stop in the future because people like Hitler can affect everyone. The idea behind the use of such horrible groups is the idea that there are terrible things that have happened in the world already and what is there stop this from happening again to the world in any way because in a way all of this history is stuff that we want to forget and 'erase' what has happened because it is things like this that are destroying our world and making it harder for us in the future.
Closer to the end of the video Linkin Park show what human interaction has done to the planet by showing images of global warming and how this is a big problem in the world they put nearer the end of the music video because it is a problem in the world that we can fix now and to help out future generations so they don't have to worry about such big problems. The fact that the band used all of these images to try and convince the world to change for the better and try to forget what has been done in the past to create a better future is
unique in a music video. This helps to show the bands star persona because they are not the typical type of rock band of their time because they were fusion between electric and rock music which helped them to gain a wide audience as they have an unorthodox style.
He believes that audiences are no longer passive and he thinks that we no longer enjoy mindlessly watching movies and reading magazines and just let it wash in. He now thinks that we are audiences that are now more active and wanting to interact with the media itself.
His reasoning behind this idea is the recent explosion in technology in the last few years and he thinks that this explosion of more technology has only made us more active as an audience as well as changing our expectations and behaviours. An example of this is the recent change in the newspaper industry from them starting of with the paper copies to the online versions that most people use nowadays.
Shirky also believes that audiences now like to be speak back to the producers of media and give them their own opinion and thoughts on what they have just seen or read. Because of this we are now able to interact with the producers of the media we enjoy and giving them our feedback.
A few examples of how artists are using an interactive way of getting the audiences attention is by making the performance personal to the audience in some way either by bringing one of them on stage with them as they are singing if they are at a concert or by giving the fan a shoutout on their social media page. This is what Shirky was talking about by having an interactive audience, it is an audience that get involves in what the artist is performing or doing to help the all the audience members feel closer to the artist and to make them also feel like they understand the artist more.
We have made a power point to help pitch our song idea to one of our practical teachers but since the last research task the idea has changed from a heavy metal and electronic vibe to an indie rock sort of vibe and this has made us have to re-think a lot of different aspects such as casting so we decided to get these guys to be in our video:
These are the guys we think could be in our music video because they are able to sing or play an instrument and they also have the vibe and style that we are after for our band.
This is Joel he can be our lead vocalist.
Luke can play the guitar and we feel like he has the style that we are after.
Today we were given a talk by one of our practical teachers and he spoke to us about what would be the easiest music video to create would be a band video because they can be done in a more simple way but creating a star persona would be more difficult because there are more people to micro manage on social media and talk shows because there is more of them there is a higher chance of one of them saying something that could jeopardise their pubic image but the fact that there are more people coming together. is also appealing to audiences which makes them an interesting group to watch.
The brand image that is built for an artist or band
Something which appeals to their audience and sells their music
What people expect when they see a video by the artist / band
Their ‘reputation’
Star personas are often created through a combination of elements such as:
Costume
Make up
Lyrics
Body Language and Facial Expression
Behaviour and Attitude
Music Videos
Social Media Posts and Websites
Social Media
This is the home page of the Linkin Park Website and they have recently updated their page to show that they have released a 20th anniversary for one of their albums and this page helps to show the mixture of different styles of song that they involve into their
music such as metal, hip-hop and electric all into one style that they have made their own especially in the album that they are rereleasing for its 20th anniversary for its first debut Album
An example of a strong star persona would be Frank Sinatra.
The song is by Nickelback and called How You Remind me
In this music video Nickleback have got a very strong narrative throughout about how a guy just sees a girl that he has probably just broken up with and there is also a very sombre mood that plays on throughout the music video. Although the song that we have chosen at the moment for our music video isn't exactly like this one by Nickelback because their one is about quite a sad topic and ours is more aggressive and fast paced than theirs. Which means that there is going to be a different type of video accompanying our song compared to the sad and emotional style of Nickelback. But this doesn't mean that there isn't anything that we can't bring into our music video like the fading in and out of a person from the video that could be of some significance to the narrative.
Nickleback are a very heavy metal band and in this music video they are presenting the lead vocalist as the one of the main focuses of the music videos narrative but when it comes to the band performing in their studio their style is easily portrayed by the style of their clothing and being very relaxed but quite dark and they are also very passionate in what they are doing.
People didn't exactly like the style of music that chose especially the country music because they didn't think that they would be able to much with my songs as they were mainly slow paced songs expert for the indie rock one that I chose. When I was choosing my songs I knew that I was taking a risk at choosing country music because it is generally an acquired taste for people to enjoy, but I did think that I had a few good ideas that could make a great country music video.
