PITCH FEEDBACK

FEEDBACK

After we had pitched our music videos to the group, we received feedback, both positive and constructive criticism that would help our group produce a better final product. The following is the feedback that we received:

- We needed a specific technical choice to enhance our video.
- Gradual Revelation, in other words climatically leading up to a unique selling point so the audience don't get bored.
- Good location- Audience liked the performance based/band theme.
- Should have kept faces.
- The editing technique of zooming in/out was effective.

DVD cover

PITCH PACKAGE

Although the above video is not of the indie/rock genre, it still is similar to our initial ideas in the following ways:

1. It is a gradual start, which is resembled in our ideas, with a gradual and slow start to the narrative.
2. Main focal point is the lead singer/singers getting ready for performance initially.
3. Performance based which consists of a big audience with lots of lights, and a positive, cheerful atmosphere is created.
   

Ideas For The Video

Ideas for the story

• We intend to synchronise the slow start to the music with a gradual build up to the visuals.
  
• Initially, there is no guitar and drums playing for the first 40 seconds. We hope to occupy this time by having visuals on the band getting ready in the house with parallel editing with the lead singer preparing for the gig, all this whilst listening to the same song on his i pod dock. Then, for the 10 seconds with only the band playing, we would have them performing in the band.
• When the leads singer kicks in, that's when the audience start walking in, which will be synchronized with the band playing.
• Ending on the lead singer waking up, as if a dream, however with the abandoned house still messy and dirty.
• Lyric- visual relationships as lyrics are 'drinking under he tables'. 'Reading the newspaper'.
• More narrative rather than abstract.

Settings/Location/Prop

The location of our video would have to correspond with the genre conventions of an indie/rock music video. These conventions consist of a performance based theme, that is often a live performance, however usually at an amateur setting. Therefore, our location would have to fit the amateur gig style of the genre, so to achieve this, locations of a run down shed, a garage or an abandoned house would need to be strongly considered.

Here are a few locations that our group have strongly considered :

1. This location would be ideal for our video. Being an abandoned shed, we feel that it would benefit our video as it would create a good atmosphere and it links together with the conventions of the genre as an amateur gig style which is again performance based.
2. The garage is similar to the shed in that it portrays the qualities we intend to show, for example it is isolated, and also the setting is seen as amateur and therefore would be perfect for a band's location, to hopefully gain a climatic feel as the song builds up.
3. This abandoned house would be useful for the group, as it is isolated, and also the location could potentially include a huge audience, with its reactions to the live performance of the band. It would also aid the party atmosphere.

Prop

They will be wearing general indie clothing such as skinny jeans, waistcoats and check shirts. Beer bottles and instruments will be a significant part of our video. Also, strobe lights and glow sticks will be used for the audience as objects, which will enhance the performance based theme.

OUR CHOSEN TRACK; SUPERGRASS- LA SONG

INITIAL VIDEO IDEAS

For the initial build up of the track we intend to synchronise the slow and gradual audio with similar slowed down visuals, like that of Spike Jonze's signature style. As well as this we hope to follow Indie-rock genre conventions of production videos to seemlessly merge the cuts and editing also. Further initial ideas would consist of a performance based approach instead of a story-based/mini film. Our live performance would be apparent to our video, in a location such as a garden, shed or garage. Then, when the music finally speeds up and the instruments come in, this would signal the start of faster and more significant editing. Our group would also hope to include a large group seen as the audience in the video, this would correspond with the typical generic conventions of an indie/rock music video, being a performance based act.

TRACK CHOICES AND INITIAL IDEAS

INITIAL TRACK CHOICES

1. The Adored- T.V Riot
2. The Duke Spirit- Dark Is Light Enough
3. Supergrass- La Song

1. Our group initially thought that this genre, being indie/rock, uses conventions that can be easily implemented in our videos. One convention is that they are shot to give the impression of live performance, often on a stage, set up as an amateur gig. Secondly, in terms of editing, it is usually cut and edited to the pace of the music, and we could then use similar techniques to create a varied tempo within the video. Performance based videos create an imersive environment which we feel would benefit what we are striving to achieve in the video, also a live act would enhance the viewing of our music video.

2. Like above, this indie/rock music video conveys conventions that as a group we feel would benefit our style. There is a lot of individual guitar playing in the piece, and this performance related technique could be used by the group to great effect. Also, we could effectively use the fast pace to our advantage, to edit and cut around it, making the cuts quick and often.

3. This music video is similar to the above two in that it fits the genre of indie/rock. We liked the gradual start to the video, creating a climax, as this could be effectively used by our group to build up the performance and therefore provide the viewers with a contrast in tempo. Generally, the videos are low budget, with locations that are often in parks, garages and sheds. This appeals to us as it could easily be achieved by our group.

Group Analysis of : JayZ Fade To Black DVD Cover

Through careful anlysis of Jay-Z's Fade to Black Album cover our group concluded the following:

How the cover art represents Jay-Z as a singer-songwriter:

From the cover the viewer is immediately drawn to the main attraction of the image, Jay-Z. It is apparant he is displaying his signature move/pose of which many can easily refer and relate to. He is thus easily distinguisable and is not required to show his face. The bright spotlight centred on the artist and the substancial crownd watching him indicate his popularity and importance within the music industry, the large croud personifies his dedicated fan base of which are one of the largest of any artist. The list of songwriters and producers located at the foot of the cover shows that Jay-Z is at the top of his game in terms of reputation and demand, in a sense the fact the artist is promoting these other well known performers implies that his standing within the music industry is higher than all the others proving him to be a very well estblished individual. The bold characters of the title prominently display the artists name thus helping to symbolise his prevalence, the scale of the title shows that his is a universally known personality already well endorsed.

SPIKE JONZE- Auteur

Unkle- Heaven

Our chosen Auteur was Spike Jonze, and he was the director of this music video, Heaven by Unkle.
He approaches it in a movie like style, and the video is climatic, building as it goes on. The slow motion effect is employed, as well as this the shots drag on for ages. This emphasises his signature style that it is not performance based, but expresses emotions. This slow and melodic backshot contrasts with the active sport that is skateboarding, present in the video.

AUTEUR THEORY

AUTEUR-French for AUTHOR

• Auteur theory was first created in the 1950's by French cinema critics/directors.
  
• Le Cahier du Cinema was their publication that discussed who should or should'nt be recognized as an auteur.
• Someones work who has particular characteristics is Auteur. These characteristics could be stylistic (micro), structural, thematic or about process.
• Below are the following famous Auteurs:

Jonathan Glazier
Michael Gandry
Anton Corbijn
Spike Jonze
Chris Cunningham

You can use Goodwins criteria to analyse all music videos across the spectrum


Lil Jon- Get Low

This music video by Lil Jon employs many of the conventions of the hip-hop genre. These conventions consist of women dancing mainly half naked, lots of jewelery, and focuses on the artists performance based approach. There is lots of voyeurism of the female body included and an example is when they dance around the artist with little clothing. This encourages the viewer to see the women as commodities. Further notion of looking is apparent when the screen is portrayed as a fish eye camera, this focuses the viewer on the subject of the video. There is also an illustrative relationship between lyrics and visuals, this is shown in the over exaggerated acts of the female body in the video. By getting low, it emphasises the view that the females are seen as sex objects.

GOODWIN ANALYSIS

Chris Brown- Fallen Angel

Conventions of a RnB video includes both performance based acts such as dance routines, as well as a plot, present in this video is the artist falling in love with a girl he should not.
Some of Goodwins criteria occur in this video, such as the contradictory relationship between lyrics and visuals. This is displayed through the woman of desire who, unlike the description of an angel, is portrayed as having vampire characteristics. Further contradiction is that he is singing about love, however she portrays dark qualities. The song has a slow and melodic approach to it, and this is a firm comparison with the negative and dark atmosphere. The performance slant to the video, with the dance routines, engages the audience and maintains their focus and interest.
Chris Brown's motif that follows through all of his videos is that he wears a baseball jacket. Secondly, dance routines with his as the focal point are evident in his videos.

GOODWIN CRITERIA

• Music video demonstrates genre characteristics.
• Relationships between music and visuals (either illustrative, amplifying or contradicting)
• Relationship between music and visuals.
• Artists may develop motifs that reoccur across all work (visual styles)
• Reference to notion of looking (telescopes, mirrors, reflection etc), particularly voyeurism, treatment of the female body.
• Often inter textual reference (t.v, film references etc).