Vids covered in Lesson One (Tues June 12th)

A NEW ERA? THE MIND BUGGLES...
DISCUSSION POINTS

1. WHAT MAKES THIS VID HISTORIC?
2. TO YOUR EYES IS IT A TYPICAL VID? (WHY?! employ M.Lang as standard...)
3. DID 'video kill the radio star'? [theory link: Bijker et al 1987] What saved radio (and has four wheels...)? Do YOU listen to digital or web-streamed radio? Radio podcasts?
4. How relevant/influential is MTV today? Where do YOU access MVids from ... and what terms/concepts from AS study of British cinema does this remind you of? [con.../dig...]

I'M THRILLED TO BE DOING MUSIC VIDEO!

MUSIC VID HAS MUCH IN COMMON WITH FILM ... INDEED, SOME MUSIC VIDS ARE SHORT FILMS
Jackson had been greatly impressed by director John Landis' groundbreaking SFX in the Indie hit An American Werewolf in London, and hired him to transform the pop superstar into a grotesque zombie for this classic vid (a rather tragic irony given his later history).
Music video is a highly postmodern format, liberally borrowing not just from existing videos, but across all forms of media and wider culture - a video maker has much more creative freedom than a film maker, is less bound by (NOT entirely free from) genre expectations.

(QUICK DISCUSSION1) ET TU BRUTUS? WHAT'S YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THE A2 INVOLVES?

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(QUICK DISCUSSION2) WHY DO YOU THINK I CHOSE THE M.VID BRIEF OVER, SAY, SHORT FILM?
I KISSED THE SKY
These examples from another school (which consistently hoovers up awards) ... plus our own IGS productions (THREE IGS music vids + 2 AS film openings in 2011 film fest!) should help illustrate why...
[THIS 1ST EG, THE VIXENS' "VOODOO CHILD", HAS BEEN REMOVED BY YOUTUBE, STILL ACTUALLY A USEFUL EXAMPLE OF THE LIMITS OF THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION AND THE TENSIONS CREATED BY 'USER-GENERATED CONTENT' + OTHER EXAMPLES OF THE COLLAPSING DIVIDE BETWEEN AUDIENCE + PRODUCER! It lives on as a blog, with a nice treatment which gives you a sense of what this girl-band dance track vid was like; see http://latymermusicvideo09charlotte.blogspot.co.uk/]....Its been re-uploaded..


there is NO stipulation over genre - so long as your idea works, and you've clearly researched the conventions, YOU select the genre of YOUR choice (yes, thats right, you won't have to pick a death metal classic!)
This one shows the genuine potential that student productions have; up to 250,000+ hits and featured in nightclubs and several TV stations across the globe, thanks to the extraordinary powers of web distribution it has achieved a niche fame.


This is the fan-made vid for MGMT's "Kids", fast-approaching 40m YouTube views, that Sam Boyes mentioned in 2011, and an example of what is likely to be a growing trend: bands using fan-made vids directly for their promotional/marketing value, and their convenience as a means of building a relationship with the fanbase. You can read more about this here.


One of several I'll confidently say are on a par with the fantastic productions from Latymer, this is one example of previous A2 students' vids, one reason why the IGS Media Studies channel has now topped 30,000 views.

TASK: I'VE GOT FRIDAY ON MY MIND...

Take 2mins to think of (i) your fave or just a brilliant vid (ii) an awful vid other than Rebecca Black's Friday! (vid below is a news report on this phenomenon of the new media age)


HOMEWORKS FOR THURS + FRIDAY...
THURS: Post on vids/learning covered so far, including embeds of vids [we'll set up new A2 blogs tomorrow]
****SOME NEWS ON YOUTUBE...****
FRIDAY: (marked while you're at Next Steps Conf) 1^st detailed MVid eg post on ‘your fave vid’
(I'll take a list now)

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RAPPING ALL OVER THE WORLD: IS VIDEO A GLOBALISED/AMERICANISED VISUAL CULTURE?

QUICK CLASS TASK: EACH COME UP WITH ONE COMMON CODE/CONVENTION (FEATURE, CHARACTERISTIC) OF A MUSIC VIDEO, SOMETHING YOU EXPECT TO SEE

ALBANIAN POP VID

Having initially brainstormed on expectations (codes & conventions) of music vids, or what helps signify them as such (and not film, drama or other media formats), lets consider this vid, what makes it identifiable as a music vid ... and what seemed to be missing...



ALBANIA IS YO, YO!
Here's a slightly less primitive example of an Albanian vid:

ANY THOUGHTS ON THIS ONE? (NB: features swearing):

Here we have Albanian emigres seemingly fully embracing New York-style American culture ... but note the SFX used red and black, also referenced in the lyrics, plus the cross-hands bird-wing movement: all connoting the Albanian flag!

SOME TERMINOLOGY AND THEORY FOR YOU...
These examples are interesting and illuminating for several reasons. They demonstrate the concept of globalisation (where distinct local cultures get squeezed out by brands, products and cultural forms seen in country after country: Starbucks + McDs on our high streets; and of course MTV on our screens), with the common signifiers or conventions of gangsta rap all clearly present. We could also consider a further, associated theory here: cultural imperialism (where Western, generally USA, culture overpowers that of smaller nations; the same theory can be applied to how S.Eng dominates the UK). Also, and again looking back to your AS, Stuart Hall's theory of levels of readings applies: what most of you would read as 'gang' posturing with the guns is actually a reflection that Albania was caught up in the war neighbouring Serbia fought over Kosovo; many of these men probably did fight with those actual weapons.

AND FINALLY...
(1) ARE HOMEWORKS WRITTEN IN + UNDERSTOOD?

(2) Lets reflect on initial thoughts about music vid conventions, having looked at a wide range today:
[the following are some from the students of 2011]
short takes/fast-paced editing (dependent on track/genre), reflecting a focus on a youth audience
glamorous females in particular (male gaze theory)
focus on a singer through framing, angles and simply featuring him/her alone more often than bandmates
a degree of 'performance'
a narrative
use of SFX
can be bookended by diegetic intro/outro (see Kanye West for extreme example, but also Joy Division + Gorillaz vids from 2011's A2 students) + can be filmic
mode of address: direct gaze at camera (thus audience), espec singer
mise-en-scene: clothing codes (+ hair, make-up etc) key to signify (sub-)genre; locations also potentially key

Did I miss anything so far? (please add as a comment any additional thoughts)

Want more?! Here's a Kanye West vid which demonstrates what a diverse art form the music video is ... all 34:mins 33secs (with some swearing) of it...