Current videos inspiring and influencing us.

This video is by a not very well known British band called 'Dirty Goods'. We're hoping to experiment with using a split screen in our video and also possibly use a projector to project video over a backdrop. We think the effect is really effective and really want to experiment with it, I also like how the swap between colour and black and white. It adds a contrast and ever-changing feel that helps engage the viewer.







The ellement of this video I really like is how they've used the tractor to create the light beams and make it look almost like a professional stage. I'd like to cross this idea with the one above and possibly use a projector in a barn area like the one used in Calvin Harris' video for 'You Used To Hold Me'. I'd like to try interesting and clever ways of using light to make our video stand out and have interesting qualities like the two above which makes it memorable.







As stated before we really like the idea of getting the couple we use to film their own footage over the course of a few days and then use that footage to project onto the backdrop. We may also use the footage they record in the video (without it being projected).







The part of this video in question is from 2:46 onwards. There are loads of short bursts of clips that Adam Young (Owl City) has recorded over the years. I really like the effect of how they look quite dated and are very realistic.







And finally, this is the video that inspired us to have a go at our own animation. It's simple yet effective and it won a competition so they must be doing something right. 

Animation Survey

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2SBK3VV


This is our survey that we are planning on using to obtain feedback on our short animation opening. We will post more on this soon when we get a decent number of responses. 

Tuesday 20th Sept Lesson.

On Tuesday's lesson me & Katherine spent an hour drawing a very brief animation story board (which you can see in the previous posts) and then spent the next hour of the lesson and lunch making a rough animation. Me & Katherine were both quite pleased with the end result considering we had been doubtful. The writing jumping around the screen had been a concern of ours but we decided it was quite a nice effect and it seemed to move in time with the music almost. We liked the koala sleeping too and really love the characters. I know Katherine really likes the idea of animation and so do I, I'm just slightly concerned about how much time it is going to take us and would also like to do some filming and have a narrative to the song. Anyway, here are some more ideas....

MORE IDEAS WE HAVE HAD!

Me & Katherine have put our heads together and have come up with some more ideas for our music video:

We really like the animation idea but as stated above time (and drawing skills) will need to be considered. Shall update on conclusion reached!

I really like the idea of getting whichever couple we use to use a video camera to film things they do together... like get them to go on a walk, out for a meal or whatever they want to do and get them to film parts of it so it seems like it's not filmed professionally. I think I gained this idea and inspiration from Edward Sharpe & The Magnetics Zeroes video for Home (see previous posts for video link and analysis). I really love how natural the clips are and the sense of true happiness in them, it's something the viewer can emotionally connect with.

We're also going to try and plan a narrative revolving around a couple (probably) and try and film some stuff ourselves. 

I'm sure more ideas will develop over time and we'll experiment with effects and concepts as we go along!

British Film Study

The Inbetweeners Movie (2011)

The film focuses on a typical British 'lads holiday' to Greece. There are four main characters called Will, Simon, Jay and Neil. Will serves as the main narrator in the series and in the film. The nationality of all the characters are British and they are well known in Britain as they have all stared in the TV series "The Inbetweeners". The film was directed by Ben Palmer who directed the TV series also and he is also British.

The characters are played by: Simon Bird Joe Thomas James Buckley Blake Harrison

I would place it in the comedy genre.

Jay Catwright

Characteristic: Obsessed by sex but frequently lies about his experiences. He is actually very awkward around females but is always showing off to try and impress his mates. He is actually a very insecure character and is always trying to be noticed, it is mentioned in the TV series that he often steals and it is referenced that he may have been sexually abused by his neighbour (a "game" that was "played") but Jay denies this. He has a good heart but has strange ways expressing this.

Semiotis: Fairly 'chavvy'... wears sporting clothing and usually speaks in a manor which could be considered as 'chavvy'.

Animation Opening Test

Me & Katherine had a go at animating and here if our end result... it took us about 2 hours to create this and since I've had feedback from a few people saying that it's rubbish. Such optimism and encouragement... anyway, here it is... all 18 seconds of it. (and the rest of the song... enjoy!)

SHE WAKES HIM UP HE'S IN A FOGGY HAZE...

This is mine & Katherine's amazing masterpiece :) (well, we did cheat slightly and trace Steven's original drawings... but we did colour them!) it illustrates the first verse(ish) of the song we've chosen :)

I done the top 2 and Katherine done the bottom one (the good one). 

Update

Hello,

Quick update...

I'm now working with Katherine Richards on this project :)

This is an idea we have for the opening verse, we're considering doing an animation. Please excuse my very poor drawing. I have included the lyrics below the image to which the visual fits. Obviously we'll have many more frames for the animation. This is just an early idea to show what we're hoping to do.

TTFN :)

Digipak Example - Katy Perry

The digipak for Katy Perry's latest album 'Teenage Dream' really caught my eye.


The disks within the digipak are fun and colourful, as if the artwork for the actual digipak. I think this ephasises Katy Pery's fun and vibrant image and the images of her show her as a sexualised female icon (with the vast amount of pink, her clothes and how she is almost naked in a lot of images.

Textual Analysis 2. Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros - Home.

Lyrics:


Alabama, Arkansas, I do love my Ma & Pa
Not the way that I do love you

Holy roly, me, oh my, you’re the apple of my eye
Girl, I’ve never loved one like you

Man, oh man, you’re my best friend, I scream it to the nothingness
There ain’t nothin’ that I need

Well, hot & heavy, pumpkin pie, chocolate candy, Jesus Christ
There ain’t nothin’ please me more than you

Chorus:
Ahh, Home
Let me come Home
Home is wherever I’m with you
(2x)
La la la la, take me Home
Baby, I’m coming Home

I’ll follow you into the park, through the jungle, through the dark
Girl, I’ve never loved one like you

Moats & boats & waterfalls, alley ways & pay phone calls
I’ve been everywhere with you

That’s true

We laugh until we think we’ll die, barefoot on a summer night
Nothin’ new is sweeter than with you

And in the streets we’re running free like it’s only you and me
Geez, you’re something to see.

Chorus

“Jade?”
“Alexander?”
“Do you remember that day you fell out of my window?”
“I sure do, you came jumping out after me.”
“Well, you fell on the concrete and nearly broke your ass and you were bleeding all over the place and I rushed you off to the hospital. Do you remember that?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Well, there’s something I never told you about that night.”
“What didn’t you tell me?”
“While you were sitting in the backseat smoking a cigarette you thought was going to be your last, I was falling deep, deeply in love with you and I never told you ‘til just now.”
“Now I know.”

Ahh, Home
Let me come Home
Home is whenever I’m with you
Ahh, Home
Let me come Home
Home is when I’m alone with you

Home
Let me come Home
Home is wherever I’m with you

Ahh, Home
Yes, I am Home
Home is when I’m alone with you.

Alabama, Arkansas, I do love my Ma & Pa!
Moats & boats & waterfalls, alley ways and pay phone calls!

Ahh, Home
Let me come Home
Home is wherever I’m with you
Ahh, Home
Let me come Home
Home is when I’m alone with you


Essay:


The second video I have chosen to analyse is the video for Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros song 'Home'. The music video was released on May 13th 2010 and is the 6th song on their album "Up From Below". The video consists of clips of all the bands favourite memories from the past few years so there isn't a director for this video, the video is entirely made up of clips filmed by the band. The band is made up of many members, the vocals for this song are performed by Alex Elbert and Jade Castrinos. The bands main genre is indie-folk which is a genre also associated with Frank Turner and Mumford and Sons. A lot of music videos in this genre encourage travel and exploration of the world, it also encourages friends to come together and play music and enjoy life. This is shown in Mumford and Sons's video for Winter Winds where the group play music together and are shown walking through the countryside. It's often that videos for this genre will use these type of locations.
The visuals often represent the lyrics, in a generic sense the lyrics speak of a couple who find that they'll always be 'home' as long as they are with the person they love. When the lyrics go "you’re the apple of my eye" we get a brief shot of Elbert's eyes looking to the camera; in most shots they're covered by sun glasses. Also, when the line "I’ll follow you into the park, through the jungle, through the dark" is sung their are clips of Elbert chasing Castrinos through a wooded area which could draw resemblance to a 'jungle'. I think the lyric "I’ve been everywhere with you" is relevant to the whole of the visuals as it shows their adventures over the years together and is probably a lyric to sum up the entire video. They're also shown barefoot when the lyrics go "barefoot on a summer night. I think that it's pretty good that they've found clips to back up the lyrics of their song, I guess in a way they have probably written about their life and what they know so it may not have been so difficult.
The clips chop and change fairly quickly which fits the happy, lively beat of the music. There are also parts in the video where you can hear a trumpet being played or people whistling and the visuals will show people playing a trumpet of whistling to correspond with that. There are also select parts of the video where there will be someone shouting 'HEY!' and people will jump out as if they're saying 'HEY!'. The visuals calm to be longer clips of calm things (people sleeping on a bus, sunsets/rises) when the music slows down at about 04:05.
I think the record company are looking to sell this track as a 'something-to-listen-to-at-summer-whilst-with-your-mates' track. The video screams: fun, travel, exploring and adventure. I think the record label know that these kind of things are popular among today's youth and will want to promote the band with this image. It is a fairly new image for the band as their previous videos have been odd to say the least. Having only two previous videos, both are set in the desert. The opening for the video Kisses Over Babylon reminded me very much of the biblical story of Jesus's struggle for 40 days and 40 nights. It would appear Elbert is singing in a foreign language throughout the video. I'd say their song 'Home' represents a change in image and genre and the video is relevant to the song which is upbeat and happy. 
I wouldn't say that any members of the band are put on sexual display or sexualised in any way. The main message in this video is promoting love, not sex or lust. I'd say that some of the female members of the band show their femininity by wearing dresses or twirling a red parasol but regardless of that they're not really sexualised. The only notion of looking I could pick up on was that you can tell the clips have been filmed using a hand-held video recorder so there is the notion that these are private memories that have been personally made, unlike many commercially made videos.
I couldn't pick up on any inter textual references in this video, I think it's a very unique kind of video that hasn't been planned to have any inter textual references. It just documents a stage in the bands life. The video is a mix of concept and performance based as the band is seen performing at different stages in their 'home-videos'. 
I think this video is fully appropriate to create a new, fun image for the band and for the song. I think the idea behind this video is fun and I think the caption the band put under the video sums it up well: "This video for Home is a collection of some of our favorite memories over the past few years. We hope it feels like Home wherever you are watching this."

The Wombats Digipak's.

Seeing as I first studied the The Wombat's music video for Anti-D I thought I'd also look at their Digipaks. It was difficult to find actual images of their individual digipaks but I did find an image showing some of their albums and singles in almost every form.
I'm pretty sure the top row, minus the far left, are the digipaks... I like how they're consistent with their album artwork and from other images I've seen they've also been creative in the design on their disks as well.

I found this image of what one of their digipaks looks like once opened. I like they're use of 2 disks that are the same design but different colours (black on pink and pink on black) which still fit into a consistent house style. I think this digipak is practical and unique and fits the image of the band well. It expresses their fun and bold personalities as well as their music.