Feminism can be found in many modern music videos, each artist explores it in a different way. This video caught my attention for many reasons, and it is indeed relevant to our project.
It can be seen that both the song "Do it Like a Dude" and the whole concept of its video were made with the purpose to empower women, to evoke equality between men and women. Different interpretations can be given to this video. Although the purpose behind this may be positive, I personally believe that the message conveyed here is not positive at all. In fact, it is implied that for a woman to be strong, she has to be like a man, she has to become one. This is portrayed through the use of mise-en-scene, where the females are wearing men's clothes and acting like stereotypical manly men. The lyrics emphasize the visuals:
" I can do it like a brother, I can do it like a dude, We can do it like the mandem (...) Boom Boom, pull me a beer, no pretty drinks, I'm a guy out here. "
I personally disagree with the whole concept of media texts - especially music videos - encouraging women to be consumerists, to conform to stereotypical beauty standards. However I don't agree with the message conveyed in Jessie J's video either.
We have taken many pictures of the whole process of producing our music video. Including pictures of our actors.
Aurelio Miranda as the cruel scientist.
BeforeAfter: Lab Coat. Glasses.
Us Filming.
Green Screen Studio
Shanti explaining the next scene to our actress, and Dunia waiting by the camera to film.
Shannae plays the role of the young female model, who is exploited by the Media.
Before:
Barefoot. No Make Up. Plain Clothes. Striped Top - prison like -, No Jewellery. This is at the very beginning of our video, where the model is still natural and about to go through a make over.
Drawing lines in her face as well as in her body, to portray that she is being forced to go through plastic surgery to have the stereotypical perfect body.
After:
High Heels. Short dress. Make Up. Jewellery. Hair Styled. This is the result of the scientist's 'experiments', this is only displayed at the end of our video, when she has given up and conformed to stereotypes.
Our actress didn't show up, therefore we couldnt get much done. We did try and tempt/beg/bribe drama students to be in our video, and we thought we had someone we could use, but then she ran away when she saw the cage...
Anyway, we have all our props and people (!) and we have booked the studio ready for filming on... Wednesday 24/11/10 at 2pm. And we are going to get this amazing music video done!
Today some of us lacked some team spirit. We were supposed to start filming today and finish the rest of the filming on Friday. Unfortunately some of us did not turn up or get in contact so we had to do something else to be productive. As the actress dis not come either we could not start alone. Instead of just being annoyed or angry we went to book all the equipment(Lighting,Camera,Tripod) some props(lab coat and safety glasses) and the drama studio for this Friday. We also printed out the Storyboard and made sure that we have all the props we need for Friday. Let's just hope that this Friday will bring a better result.
Researching the branding and marketing of artists who already fit into our chosen genre:
“Indie/Alternative Rock”...
Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys are an alternative rock band formed in 2002, UK. Arctic Monkeys are heralded as one of the first acts to come to public attention via the Internet (fan-based sites rather than from the band), with commentators suggesting they represented the possibility of a change in the way in which new bands are promoted and marketed. Arctic Monkeys have used Myspace to push themselves into the public eye, and it resulted in the band getting signed to "Domino" in June 2005, after they refused to change their songs to suit the industry and resisted signing to a record label for some time. Their fans also helped to promote the bands music, by recording the songs at gigs and giving out demo CDs. Also, Mark Bull filmed the band's performances and made the music video to "Fake Tales of San Francisco" releasing it on his website and therefore giving the Arctic Monkeys further exposure. Overall though, Arctic Monkeys relied on the "word-of-mouth" technique to boost their popularity, through the internet, their fans, and their tours and media coverage.
The Pigeon Detectives
This English band was formed in 2002, and has also exploited Myspace's networking genius to gain exposure. Although probably not as recognised as Arctic Monkeys, The Pigeon Detectives have been quite successful. They supported Dirty Pretty Things whilst they toured in spring 2006. In early November 2006 they supported fellow Leeds band Kaiser Chiefs, who are known to be fans of the band, on a number of occasions around Europe. The Pigeon Detectives have relied heavily on their performances, at festivals, and being the supporting band for bigger Indie bands such as the Kaiser Chiefs, to gain them recognition.
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an American indie rock band formed in New York City in 2000.
Alongside performing headlining tours across the world, the band has supported artists such as Björk, The White Stripes, The Strokes, Liars, and Jon Spencer Blues Explosion. The band became one of the first western rock acts to play in China when they headlined the Modern Sky Festival in Beijing in 2007.
The main difference, I think between English Indie bands and The Yeah Yeah Yeahs is that they have a lead female vocalist and her clothing style attracts attention on stage.
They seem like a “hands-on” band, Karen (lead vocalist) co-directed and all three band members were featured in the video for the group's "Hologram World" video. They also seem to be playing the festival circuits in the UK, playing at Glastonbury Festival 2009.
They are very well known, especially in the UK actually.
They are not a conventional Indie band as seen in the UK and USA, but I think this works in their favour as they stand out by being original and different.
Researching the branding and marketing of artists who are from a different genre…
Slipknot
Slipknot is an American heavy metal band formed in 1995. Slipknot are known largely by their attention-grabbing image, aggressive music style and their energetic and chaotic live shows. As of May 2010 Slipknot has sold over 14 million records worldwide. The band has released one live album and four DVDs, this shows us that their marketing technique relies heavily on the image they put across to the audience and it also depends on their performances on stage.
The band is known for its attention-grabbing image; the members wear matching uniforms, have unique masks respectively and have aliases which are simply numbers. Vocalist Taylor had this to say when questioned about the masks in 2002: "it's our way of becoming more intimate with the music. It's a way for us to become unconscious of who we are and what we do outside of music. It's a way for us to kind of crawl inside it and be able to use it.”
Slipknot has been the subject of many controversies throughout their career, both for their image and their music. The lyrical content of some of Slipknot's songs has been linked to several violent and criminal incidents.
So by this we can see that Slipknot has gained maximum exposure through their own styling, using the masks for example, an image that many people who may not be fans of the band will consequently still recognise. Also, the controversy may have gained them some exposure, just as it did Marilyn Manson. We can see here that Slipknot is advertising for a niche market of consumers who will relate to their image, and their songs.
Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera is an example of a pop star whose image was completely marketed by the music industry. She even admitted herself that she was displeased with her lack of input in her music and image. After parting from her management, Aguilera took creative control over her second studio album, Stripped (2002). The album's second single, "Beautiful," was a commercial success and helped the album's commercial performance amidst controversy over Aguilera's image.
The constant theme in Aguilera's music and lyrics is love, although she has written on other subjects including spirituality, female empowerment, and grief.
Christina Aguilera has also used various products and endorsement deals in which to boost her recognition. Throughout her career Aguilera has endorsed several brands, including Skechers, Mercedes-Benz, Verizon Wireless, and soft drink giants Coca-Cola in 2001, and Pepsi in 2006. This is a usual pathway that pop singers will undertake in order to receive more exposure.
Aguilera's fourth studio album Bionic (2010), which incorporated aspects of R&B, electropop, and synthpop, was met with mixed reviews and poor sales.
I like this video as it corresponds with what our video is about - How the media tries to manipulate and use younger female women to be or act a certain way. This video explores that concept and explains that it's okay to be the way you are. The video portrays some of the problems girls have to face such as bulimia.
This music video demonstrates how a girl should not look in society. It is interesting as they sing about how "nasty" the girl is for not having much dignity. Yet again, the song and the music video correspond very well.
Wyclef Jean: "Perfect Gentleman"
This video suggests that it's okay for females to be promiscuous in today's society. That there is no problem with being slutty and that it could be a profession. I think this music video gives out the wrong idea since it's not a good message to send out.
Stacie Orrico: "More To Life"
This video shows the life choices females take nowadays and explains that there is more to life than becoming a mother or working in a diner. I like this video since it explores different themes. The song fits well with the video, too.
Wednesday, 10 November 2010
Feminism in Music videos
Some artists have tried to intergrate the message of feminism in their songs and videos. Well, some were successful some were not.But that is probably a matter of opinion. Firstly a Music Video from Christina Aguilera (Can't hold us down)
I believe that the song is interesting but the video was not strong enough to convey a memorable,important message.
Another artist who also encourages feminism is P!nk. Many of her videos are fun to watch but are still conveying the strong message they were meant to convey.
The video shows a few misconceptions and stereotypes that people have about feminists.
There has been a discussion on whether Lady Gaga is a feminist icon...She makes an intresting point in the begining of the video but as the interview carries on she shows us that she does not even know what feminism is about.
G.I. Jane
The whole movie and espescially this scene is showing a woman doing what she wants not what others tell her to do and it shows how she succeeds in breaking some stereotypes of women in general. Espescially the dialogue is very intresting e.g. when the chief master tells the other soldiers how her presence makes them all "vulnerable". This also represents the view many men hold of women, that they make men weak and that it is best for them to stay home or at least not disturb men in "their territory".
After analysing some music videos I started to wonder why they are so necessary for an artist's publicity...
In contemporary society, a music video is expected when a new song is released- especially in the charts, and this is because we are conditioned to the visual image being a part of our everyday lives.
Music videos are, above all else, about the audience relating to the artist, so a basic connection is established.
However, videos these days are more about expressing emotions- or an idea/concept, than the actual music being sung by an artist.
The influx of "celebrity singers" such as Lady GaGa and Katy Perry use their videos to create their indivual images and they represent the freedom to express opinions. Lady GaGa has been a major success and has become an icon for some people. This has been made possible because of her image being portrayed on the media, in her music videos and her presence on stage. However, out of all these media forms, the most significant are her controversial and influencial music videos. Whether you like her or not, her videos do create reactions when they are viewed.
So Music Videos are really fundamental to the artist's image, and it makes the audience view the artist in a different way because they are structured to persuade us to think we are seeing the artist's creative input- basically the artist is representing themselves to us. This is not true in all cases, not all artist or bands have put their own creative input into the videos, but some have and this makes it seem admirable for a fan of the artist.
There are different forms and conventions of music videos depending on what sort of genre the music is. Having said that, some music videos diversify themselves and take on visual imagery in their video that you wouldn't necessarily expect them to, and this usually tends to be music which has a mixed genre, for example Bob Sinclar's "Rock This Party"...
Another artist which mixes the genres he works with is Kevin Rudolf, he has worked with Lil Wayne in the past and produced the song "Let it Rock"...
Out of the few exceptions... most music videos are portrayed typically to the type of music they are representing and we can find ourselves stereotyping certain genres such as...
R&B- which usually includes lots of naked women dancing provocatively around the male singer. This genre can also contain the likes of Beyonce and Ciara...
Rock- quite dark, settings/costumes, scary and intimidating...
Indie- Can be random, usually portrays a certain type of group of people e.g. geeky nerds...
Pop- Usually includes girl bands/boy bands. A lot of singing to the camera. Cheesy songs. But can also be used to describe dance music cross-overs e.g Lady GaGa and the music of Justin Bieber...
Dance- Is one of these genres which are diversifying a lot, R&B singers like Neyo and Kelly Rowland are using the dance genre in their new releases. DJ David Guetta has been at the fore-front of these changes, his tracks usually bridge the gap between R&B artists and the dance genre.
There are also different genres of music videos and they fit into these three categories...
1. Performance
2. Narrative
3. Concept
However, music videos could feature more than one of these genres.
Take Lady GaGa's and Beyonce's "Telephone"- A mixture of narrative and performance
So, I have discovered that Music Videos are used as a tool for connecting with the audience, branching into film-making (Telephone by Lady GaGa has a cinematic theme), exploiting the type of genre and also mixing up genres to become more dynamic (Bob Sinclar), and it is used to advertise a type of lifestyle (Rap videos- all about the money, the girls, the power), or even clothing such as nike shoes or mobile phones- music videos are used to influence the audience in some cases, but it can also be used to convey an idea or attitude and this can be political e.g. Michael Jackson's "They Don't Care About Us" music video.
I decided to analyze this music video, since I thought it is relevant to our final idea. The video to the song, Through the glass was written and directed by Tony Petrossian. It conveys the idea that celebrities are plastic, shallow. The music industry is now only focused on an artist’s appearance, instead of their actual talent, the content of their songs.
This is achieved as the video is set in a stereotypical Hollywood party, and as the video develops, the celebrities socializing in the party become cardboard cutouts and they are then taken away. I reckon this was a brilliant idea, since it successfully illustrates the point Corey Taylor – the lead singer – wanted to make. As they become cardboard cutouts, it is suggested, that these celebrities are only an image, they are not real people made of bone and flesh, they have nothing to offer but their looks. This is emphasized when the band members take their place to play their instruments in front of another cardboard cutout that says “Hollowood”, this makes the point more obvious to the viewer, it clarifies that Hollywood is full of shallow, plastic people.
The video illustrates great part of the lyrics,
“And it's the stars
The stars that shine for you
And it's the stars
The stars that lie to you, yeah”
This is a video that somebody showed me the other day. I think it really sums up where our music video is coming from- the theme of media's portrayal of young women, leading to young women feeling pressured to always live up to the physical expectations of their representation. This video exposes the fakeness of the industry of advertisement. It also reminds me of the "barbie doll" image of perfection...
Michael Jackson held the top spot for longest music video at approx 14 minutes.
Now Kanye west has realeased his new music video "Runaway" which is approx 34 minutes.
However, concerning the actual quality of the video? In my opinion, "Runaway" isn't really worth the 34minutes of viewing time.
Firstly, Kanye is a bit of a poser in the video and the video has no clear order, it is, for me, an example of a video where the "random" theme doesn't work. Also, the narrative surrounds the idea of a fallen angel, as she integrates into the modern world. It's a bit of a unimaginative idea, and I'm sure it has been done before...
However, I did think the overall cinematography of the video was impressive. The shots had sharp contrast in colour quality and were well imagined.
Also, the special effects were exciting. I think it is the quality of the visual image that is appealing within this video, besides from that there is not much else.
I found with this video, it should have seemed original and I was expecting it to be original and interesting but instead I was quite let down by the reoccuring ballerina theme, which is nice for a while but then gets repetitive and boring. Furthermore, the music changes during the video and it just distorts and ruins the visuals of the video.
"Thriller" by Michael Jackson is probably one of the most influencial music videos of its time, and it still remains one of the greatest and most popular.
It is like the landmark for when music videos became more significant.
"Thriller" had a huge effect on popular culture for its visual connections with that of film-making, something we take for granted now, but "Thriller" was the first video to explore making a music video more creatively interesting by including aspects of film-making.
Kanye West said in a recent interview he was inspired by music videos such as "Thriller" when he planned his own creative endeavour.
So even though Kanye's video is longer than Michael Jackson's "Thriller", it will never really match up to the "greats" in my view because "Runaway" lacks the originality and influential content to make it something people will really remember in a couple of years from now.
Friday, 5 November 2010
Final Idea
The idea we’ve decided on centres around the theme of a teenage girl being pressured by society and being forced into the image of feminism which has been constructed by the media.
The idea starts with a teenage girl in a cage, she is blindfolded and in hospital overalls. It is supposed to relate to suppressing a human, almost like negative connotations such as people in mental asylums.
Then two scientists come in and take her out of the cage, she is scared and confused and quite unwilling to do what they want. They take her to a lab environment and there she goes through several phases such as costume (they force her to wear a fashionable dress), hair and makeup, they give her a cigarette to curb her hunger, teach her to be bulimic, give her a bottle of vodka, high heels, drugs, teach her how to pose, how to attract a footballer, pick up burger they snatch it away, sneakily unwrap a chocolate bar (gets put in straight jacket/electric shock therapy), money, designer bag, tell her not to study, Botox and plastic surgery offers to her etc
She is being forced to conform to a typical stereotype.
Then she gets shoved onto a catwalk, people are taking pictures of her and she is really confused and she doesn’t want to walk, they make her. Cameras are clicking and people are telling her to walk and look beautiful.
At the end of the catwalk, she shouts “I’ve had enough!” then she faints/falls off the end of the stage and then falls onto her bed in her room and wakes up in reality. She is in her normal clothes and her bed isn’t made.
Concerning how the music relates to the visuals. The pace of the camera will be determined by the music, and the music is upbeat and the tempo will be fast.
Our idea is about freedom and rebelling against the force of the media but recognising the pressures which exist on young females in society. At the end the girl wakes up from the dream and realises that she doesn’t want that life, and the dream was a warning to her.
There is an interesting set of music videos which have been released in the past couple of months.
Here is a quote from an online article explaining what the videos are about ...
"Check out the first episode of an extended video series of three parts that is produced to promote for producer Russ Chimes' forthcoming new EP "Midnight Club," which includes the tracks "Never Look Back," "Tertre Rouge" and "Targa." Directed by Saman Keshavarz and produced by Francis Pollara, this raw, stylish and cut up cine-sensation stars Kendrick Kellawan, Mindy Brenner, Jessica Franz and Ben Barrett. Mighty cool stuff."
"Each song will be released as a separate music video, but when combined the trilogy will tell one single, narrative. "Each separate piece is a part of the whole, which tells the viewer a bit at a time and helps to make sense of the immensely complex and nonlinear story," producer Pollara tells me. He adds that the video features several colliding story lines that go along very well with Chimes' amped up, atmospheric and pop-savvy dance music."
This music video is experimental and I think it shows how music videos can be narrative based but still be very unique at the same time. I like how the shots have been cut up to make the video seem disorientating to watch, but even though it is confusing it is still engaging and we can see that a lot of work and thought has been chanelled into this video. Personally, this is why I admire this video because of the dedication and commitment it must of taken to make it. Also, having three installments increases the story-telling aspect and continuity of the video- it makes it feel more like a film. The video has a close visual connection to film-making, however it also incorporates the music, as the music establishes the pace of the visuals.
Why? I think it's important to include the bands original video on the blog because it will help us as a group to understand how the band is portraying the song and how we can use our own imagination to hopefully create something different and unique. It will also provide us with a "feel" of what the band is about. The video is mostly narrative based and also concept driven. It's about a punk girl entering a world of a different genre of people- she is the outcast and the audience are persuaded to sympathise with her because of her situation. The costumes connote her as a goth/punk (she is wearing black) and the people around her are wearing bright colours. This could also represent the social groups present amongst this age group in American society. The group are present in the video, this enables the audience to relate to the band and understand what they are about. The main singer acts within the music video as well, and this shows that they are active within their own music video and they think they can convey the emotion for their song. Concerning the music, it has been refered to "as if imitating 1950s calypso" by musicOMH (a UK-based website which publishes independent reviews). The band refers to this song as having connections with African sounding songs and "Kwassa Kwassa" refers to a dance rhythm from Congo.
Some background information on the song... In 2005, vocalist Erza Koenig travelled through London en route to India and said that the trip got him "thinking a lot about colonialism and the aesthetic connections between preppy culture and the native cultures of places like Africa and India." This inspired Koenig to write a short story exploring those connections, and called it "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa", from which the song was named.
From the music video and various background information, Vampire Weekend seem to put a lot of thought into their songs, and they may not be as random as they sound. They use mostly concept-driven themes but sometimes include a narrative to cover the themes. There is humour in their videos and they seem to promote a fun attitude as well.
Peter Gabriel?
Within our chosen track “Cape cod kwassa kwassa” it mentions the name ‘Peter Gabriel’ within the lines:
“But this feels so unnatural Peter Gabriel too”
So I decided to look him up on the internet because I didn’t know who he was, here is some information I found on wikipedia:
He is an English singer, musician and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career. More recently he has focused on producing and promoting world music and pioneering digital distribution methods for music. He has also been involved in various humanitarian efforts. In 2007 Gabriel was honoured as a BMI Icon at the 57th annual BMI London Awards for his “influence on generations of music makers.” Gabriel was also awarded the Polar Music Prize in 2009 and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis in 2010.
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