Loaning Media Equipment: Guidelines

Each of you will be issued with a copy of the document below to sign, show to (and discuss with) your parents, and return to me (once they're all in I'll photocopy and return them to you - please don't fold the sheet).
We have a lot of you seeking cameras at any one time, so need to make sure they're kept in constant circulation so everyone has fair and equal access and can plan shoots without having to worry about getting cameras.

As noted on the bottom of this, the 10 sets of earphones I bought just last year have all disappeared, so there will not be any to borrow - you really do need to bring your own set with you each day. You can buy basic earphones from £1.99 on Amazon.

Loaning Media Equipment - Guidelines (2)

Look at other schools' blogs+videos

I've got links with several centres across the UK whose students are following the same briefs as yourselves. You'll recall how vital audience feedback is for coursework; this is your chance to give some considered, constructive feedback on these students' productions, with the knowledge that this will enhance your own prospects of getting reciprocal feedback.
Give some due thought to this, and phrase any critique you may have in a manner you'd be happy for someone to comment on your own work. Discussing aspects you think could be improved/developed is fine, tho' don't forget to note anything you like too!!!
Some students include specific questions on their blogs; have a read before viewing or commenting.

There's a lot you can pick up from others' blogs. This is a good example, a bit of ingenious innovation from some students at a school in Kent (watch the YouTube vid): http://twgsbmedia10a2group5.blogspot.com/2010/11/rb-digipak-so-far.html (Feel free to add comments to posts other than the final cuts)

CENTRE 1: KENT

You can access a range (8) of group blogs at http://twgsbmusicvideo.blogspot.com/ - each group has included specific questions they'd like addressed in their posts.


CENTRE 2: CHADWELL ACADEMY, ESSEX
6 more music video productions:

http://divyayear13.blogspot.com/
http://amanveeryear13.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2010-12-08T04%3A19%3A00-08%3A00&max-results=7
http://a2shaninaikmedia.blogspot.com/
http://a2sashglucksmedia.blogspot.com/
http://jmfsmikle.blogspot.com/
http://shiimasharifyear13a2.blogspot.com/

CENTRE 3: CASTLE SCHOOL, SOMERSET 
http://a2joetully.edublogs.org/
http://a2davidwaldron.edublogs.org/
http://a2harryedmondson.edublogs.org/

Some very interesting work amongst these - should give you a clear sense of the standards you've got to meet ... and beat!!!

YOUR production co's...

The idents you created for the AS productions were a real strength of that work; the reel of these that John has compiled and which has been playing on the school screens is a great representation of your achievements as Media students, and was noted too by the exam board - one reason why they've picked us to be used for the training of examiners, and setting of national grade standards, this January.
So, its time to get thinking about new company names and new logos. I'll leave it up to you whether these are animated/film idents or an image - either would be appropriate (though you do need to be able to use a still image as a logo, so if you're doing a moving image ident, bear this in mind). You can re-use last year's if you wish and it seems appropriate.

WHAT COMPANY/IES?
There are several types of company you are effectively acting as:

• record label: only really appropriate if you're working on older material, so can argue this would be a subsidiary or offshoot set up to handle the re-release (but still also reference the actual label/rights holder, eg Blah Records, a subsidiary of Sony Music)
• music video production company: some of these will deal with the full promotional package, but its just as likely that the print and video sides would be handled by different companies; do some research into music video production companies to reference here
• digipak design + ad design:again, these could be separate companies or combined within house - what you do with this will be down to a combination of research (finding examples of real-life companies who do this and seeing how specialist or broad their offering is) and group size (do you each want to create your own company?)

Given the crisis the digitisation of music has caused for the music industry, budgets for every aspect of marketing and promotion have been slashed; companies offering complete packages (along the lines of what you will be creating in due course) should be able to undercut the prices charged by separate companies dealing with each aspect (video, packaging, ads).

TARGETS: By Thursday of next week have...

1. thought up name/s for any company/ies
2. have still images for each
3. have filmed moving image where appropriate (this might be in draft/rough cut for now)
4. have researched real companies who tackle each stage of the process you're now engaged in
5. have reflected this in your blogs

In your last pre-Xmas lesson we will give each production group team some lesson time to re-pitch their idea, using any visual aids felt useful; be thinking about what specific feedback you're after, and have a good go at gathering in some shots to help illustrate planned locations/props/cast/mise-en-scene etc. You could incorporate a moodboard on your band/act, and some detail on your research so far (the band; their vids; existing aud; your target aud; their record label; their online presence + contact with fanzines/label etc...)

Barbra Streisand: 13B vid

Now on YouTube...

Nicely done!

the retro boom

This post from last year would be useful to reference when considering why a vid for an older track makes sense...
http://a2mediablogs.blogspot.com/2010/05/80s-boom-go-old-school.html

Oddball Beatles lip sync

Noticed this from browsing the Media Guardian site just now (article: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/greenslade/2010/dec/05/youtube-norway); it speaks for itself...


Nearly as odd:

Blog tasks guide [draft]

Typing up a complete guide will take some time, so in the meantime here's a list of a few blog posts (and therefore tasks) to be considering. The idea here is to collaborate more, but to clearly identify individual contributions - agree a colour code system where the writing/contribution of each person in a group is consistently denoted by a clear colour heading. You wouldn't each be doing each of these from scratch, but agreeing within a group who tackles what...

1. THE TASK(S!!)

Kanye West: 35min vid

The idea of an extended music vid, effectively as a short film isn't new - John Landis' work for Michael Jackson's Thriller itself built on The Beatles' films, which could be viewed as a series of sketched built around multiple prototype music vids. Kanye West's effort, the 35min Runaway, has split web opinion, currently accruing 29,055 likes/5,101 dislikes after 5,389,189 views at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7W0DMAx8FY and another 28,165 likes/2,890 dislikes from 6,331,377 viewings at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jg5wkZ-dJXA&feature=channel (just some of the uploads on YouTube alone; its also on his official site and many more).
The bottom line - its working wonders as a promotional tool. KanyeWest.com even includes a live twitter feed on what people are saying about it, stark evidence of its impact.

Lady Gaga via Leeds - the Bad Romance meme

UPDATE 22ND FEB 2011
Noticed more parodies and even a Lg make-up how-to; links, not embeds, follow:
(Bad Romance Parody - gets a little crude towards the end) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWxTGJ3TK1U&feature=channel
(LadyGagaVEVO - lots more links; this is behind-the-scenes of Telephone vid) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQvBjs9u5Hw&feature=related
(LadyG make-up how-to) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGcLCoh5bYo&feature=related

YouTube is opening up opportunities for all sorts of new acts; these guys have hit the charts with their Gillian mcKeith Song after getting played by C.Moyles and others; here is Brett Domino's take on Bad Romance, one of the 1st videos we looked at this year:

At some point I'll add in notes from work on LadyG, but for now a few further examples of how - just like the Britney track - this single has provoked a range of online responses from widely divergent genres.
This idea, of taking music from one (typically non-credible, poppy) genre and transplanting it to a radically differing, essentially binary opposite (viewed by its fans as highly credible, complex music) genre is not new (hip hop acts have been trawling through all sorts of unlikely sources for decades, with a sample from a 50s track, Apache, by instrumental act The Shadows forming the bedrock of many early rap tunes). The rise and ever-increasing accessibility of digital media, and the web as a carrier for the output of digitally produced media, has seen this mushroom.
Another iconic example: Kylie Minogue. She has skilfully repositioned herself away from the bubblegum image she started out with, partially through a capacity to pastiche herself; refract herself through a postmodern lens - a great example being her reading her famously simplistic debut single's lyrics as mock-poetry:

...But back to LadyG...
Search YouTube for the track and you'll find a plethora of versions; the following are just a small sample:


These guys are unashamedly trying to use LadyG's colossal fanbase to generate interest - without the keywords lady gaga bad romance its unlikely many people would ever come across them...

There are many more: gothic, power metal, death metal drum tracks ... the list goes on
Have you come across (m)any tracks that have generated so many covers? (Add a comment with info if so!)

'Video Exclusive' on C4

Interesting to see music vids retain some allure even for our terrestrial broadcasters: C4 often do this for post-watershed vids too, but I notice in today's schedules a programme simply listed as "Video Exclusive", described as The Wanted. Exclusive first play of boy band The Wanted's next single Lose My Mind.
Once again, this forms just part of a wider media strategy: The Wanted are also due to appear on tonight's X Factor.

Vids for older tracks: Beatles

The Beatles have provided the perfect example of how record companies are looking to wring sales out of their back catalogue (cf. the long tail theory). They timed the week the X Factor had a Beatles theme to coincide with their finally allowing iTunes to release their back catalogue - but only at a higher price than anyone else. They've released a series of teaser vids for many of these, one eg below:



See also http://new.music.yahoo.com/blogs/mojo/14873/beatles-not-for-sale/

Barbra Streisand

By a curious coincidence, the BarbraS track was used over a montage at the end of the 9-930 Autumnwatch show on BBC2 tonight...

13B Lip Sync track

We had 5 tracks pitched for filming a music vid: Katrina and the Waves' "Walking on Sunshine"; Mike Posner's "Cooler Than Me"; Duck Sauce's "Barbra Streisand"; a Paolo Nutini track; and Taylor Swift's "You Belong To Me". The "Barbra Streisand" track was setlled on, with planning now underway for the shoot. The official music video is embedded below (from muzu.tv, not YouTube, which I think you can access under student logins):

Duck Sauce - Barbra Streisand
You'll see the design of this vid could easily inspire tribute versions, an attractive idea for most acts as this acts rather nicely as a means of generating viral marketing: marketing the band do not pay for, and which does not have the appearance of an advertising campaign. The success of the Yeo Valley (milk/dairy company) rap, (one of several similar ideas: see this Ontario vid, + rather awful raps such as this), played exclusively in the X Factor ad breaks (at a campaign cost of £5m) has worked well like this - the YouTube video has been widely emailed and the company have been 'forced' by Facebook campaigns etc to release the song as an Xmas single. The "Barbra Streisand" video also features a daft dance move, another trick which can help encourage a video to be reconstructed, reflimed and posted (eg as 'responses' to YouTube uploads) online, a tactic used as far back as Adam and the Ants' "Prince Charming" video.

Artist2: Cher

See Chris' blog for his PowerPoint and post.

Cher's career in a way reflects the key trend in the contemporary music industry: long-established artists maintaining an older audience picked up over their careers whilst also seeing the digital revolution helping them to gain a younger, secondary audience.
Cher is notorious for her drastic usage of plastic surgery to defy the aging process, becoming the oldest woman, at 52, to reach no.1 in the contemporary charts with 1998's "Believe". Her work, her very body, is highly contestible, and would evoke radically different responses from a feminist and a post-feminist, arguments we looked at with Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" video. Her hyper-femininity being achieved through such artificial means also brings to mind Judith Butler's provocative concept of the performativity of gender: the idea that gender does not exist in nature, but is simply a concept we learn to apply and 'perform'. This has made Butler an important thinker within 'queer theory', but could also help explain why Cher has attained iconic status within the gay community.

(This last phrase, gay community, itself contains ideological values: are all gay people the same (homogenous)?! Our language, especially as expressed through our media, are constantly loaded with subtle value judgements we tend to think little about. When an idea is seen as common sense; that it would be ridiculous to even question it, we say that it has achieved hegemonic status ... a concept we'll explore in more detail later in A2)

Over her long career Cher has created some hallmark singles:

• 1989's "If I Could Turn Back Time" was instantly banned by MTV for her risque criss-crossed belts costume (and features unsubtle phallic imagery: Cher sits astride the long artillery barrels [here we've just applied some basic Freudian psychoanalysis, a common approach within Media and especially Film Studies]). The ambiguity of her gender performance, to use Butler's concept, is seen in the juxtaposition of her feminine long hair and thickly applied make-up, plus her semi-nude attire (Laura Mulvey's male gaze...), with her tattoos and manly biker's jacket. The heterosexual eroticism of the video, however, is somewhat undermined by the campness of the 'in the navy' backdrop!
• 1998's "Believe" brought the vocoder into mainstream pop, later to be (ab)used by the likes of Victoria Beckham. This intentionally distorts the voice, creating a robotic, mechanistic effect - not to be confused with auto-tuning, source of a recent X Factor scandal, which computer processes any voice to put it into the correct key and essentially can make any terrible singer sound quite good and in tune! Again, Cher's physicality is key to the video. The nightclub setting also takes on a camp aspect, as does her headdress, which helps her appeal not just to a mainstream pop audience but also a gay audience. Explicitly referencing gay culture has been a strategy used to gain greater credibility by Madonna as well, who, for example, took 'voguing' from gay clubs onto MTV and into mainstream consciousness, and has worked with provocative gay artists such as Robert Mapplethorpe. (He caused huge controversy with works such as 'Piss Christ'; using such an artist helps Madonna render his edginess as part of her image)

 

WALKING IN MEMPHIS

This video is perhaps not as iconic as the other two, but is interesting in itself (good choice Chris!). Again, notwithstanding her determination to achieve an ideal of feminine beauty (feminists have written about how our misogynistic media have pushed women to aspire take up less space in starving themselves and inflict grievous injury upon themselves in the way of plastic surgery - not an analysis which most post-feminists would necessarily concur with), there is an ambiguity to her gender performance. Her deep voice sits somewhat at odds with the woman whose legs seem to be the focus of the prevailing long shot on her. She is first seen in a slow pan up and over her body, a veritable caress from the camera. She is cleverly affecting a humbleness which helps to appeal to a mainstream American audience: sitting on the steps of a greyhound bus, part of the iconography of America, familiar to a global audience as well through countless TV shows, films and music videos (remember Axl Rose stepping off a Greyhound bus in the diegetic intro to "Welcome to the Jungle"?)
Black and white is used to affect a timeless, classic feel, with the shots of the diner, seemingly featuring a youthful Cher, signifying the 50s, a period many Americans look to with real affection: this was pre-Vietnam War, and seen as a golden age when there seemed to be a clear set of universal values. This is a fantasy, but a powerful one. Weezer's "Buddy Holly" is a great example of a postmodern text which reflects this: it plants the band inside footage from Happy Days, a 70s TV show which affectionately reconstructed the 50s featuring a 90s band! Its a good example of director Spike Jonze's style (and is featured on the 2DVD set of his work now in the Library and available to loan!).



Its not often I'll embed anything related to the loutish Mr Moyles, but here's an example of the technology in action

Coursework Pitches

This is homework for Monday 22nd November. We may still be finishing up on the lip-sync practice, but should be ready to deliver these for the 22nd.

See the earlier post for more on the practice of pitching.

By now we've looked at a wide range of music videos from different artists, eras, directors and genres. We need now to start planning our actual productions, the 1st step being coming up with and pitching an idea.
I cannot stress enough how important it is you make every effort to create a convincing pitch no matter how much you may have been discussing one particular track/idea with a classmate. If your pitch is considered to be unconcvincing, you will be asked to re-do it until you have presented a pitch which can compete with the others presented.

If your pitch does persuade others to follow your idea, you've set yourself up as director within the production team, and should take a leading role in the key creative decisions that emerge. A producer, to deal with logistics; cinematographer, to lead on shot selection and filming (and perhaps mise-en-scene); and an editor are other key roles that can be divided up.

I will consider groups of 4 given the amount of work involved in creating a convincing music video - think roughly double the number of shots you took for your AS productions! - but only if individual roles and responsibilities are clearly defined so that individual contributions are clear, evident and easy to track.

Once we're through the pitches and have formed groups, further research and planning can be much more tightly focussed on genre/s, specific bands, directors and styles (see the blog entry on The Pixies for examples of the minimalist approach for instance). You will be issued with a detailed A2 Coursework Guide on Monday 29th Nov which sets out a list of possible blog posts. Central to your Research and Planning, as with your AS work, is the need to be able to explore how your creation uses the codes and conventions of real media texts, including a firm grasp of the institutional contexts of production, the impact of new media and digitisation on the industry (production, distribution and exhibition), and the blurring of the lines between 'UGC' and professional productions, as well as the media language used.

As has been flagged up, I highly recommend the Money For Nothing book on the history of the music vid, which also contains a lot of useful analysis (plus very many specific examples you wouldn't otherwise be aware of) of trends, styles and movements within the format.

Some guidelines for your pitch:

• you have just 90secs to pitch in
• up to 3 mins will then be allowed for Q+A (we want to fit all in to enable time for decisions to be made, though decisions can be deferred if more time is needed - I'll film your pitches and hopefully upload to YouTube that evening)
• track should be short-ish! The longer the track, the more filming/editing required
• there cannot be any swearing or strong sexual references
• you must have considered the core and secondary audiences you are targeting
• location is often key - can you gain access to the location/s you have in mind?
• try and scout these out in advance and provide imagery to illustrate
• comparability: which existing vids can you compare your idea to? (helps your audience to get a handle on what you're thinking of) Whether its a film or music video pitch, its always crucial to make some comparisons
• go multimedia: have you got an mp4/mpg you can use alongside your basic pitch? perhaps you can use the annotation tools available within YouTube when you upload a video?
• you could be ambitious and incorporate an animatic (frames from a storyboard uploaded to film, with you commenting over these)
• don't discount the various ideas you pitched for Cars, People are Strange etc - many of these were quite excellent and would work brilliantly as actual videos
• as you're preparing your pitch, keep asking yourself if your planned content will help persuade a sceptical audience to want to work on your idea
• try to anticipate questions
• you could try to engage and draw in your audience with a question of your own!
• read over the marking criteria in advance; you could flag up how your idea will hit all the points covered in the mark scheme
• be concise
• be precise
• employ media language!!!

LipSync Practice Pitch

This is homework for Monday 15th November.

Your challenge is to pick a track, without strong language or strong sexual references; think up a concept or narrative approach that can be shot in and around school; and pitch your vision to the class.
You have just 60secs in which to pitch, which includes any snippets of the track you wish to play - we do need to hear some of it for your pitch to make any sense!
Depending on your own views, each class will pick either one or two of these to film, which we'll look to do in lesson time. Your idea must be achievable!
Whichever pitches are successful, everyone will deliver some lines to camera to gain some lip-sync practice (even if you personally won't appear in your own actual video its vital you can empathise with the challenges your performers will face, and can provide clear direction to help), so no matter how abstract your idea, make sure it does incorporate some singing to camera! (and yes, that does mean instrumentals are ruled out)

(A 'pitch' is an occasion when producers briefly summarize their proposal to busy executives (sometimes to the band themselves), in the hope of winning a commission/the contract for producing the video. It is always a sales pitch!)

Read more on pitching: hubpages.com guide; actor Peter Capaldi; wiki; ehow.com.   

You can also see some examples from Latymer students doing just this here.

Most of you will be familiar with The Apprentice, which seems to feature a bunch of cretins proving how awful they are at business and dealing with human beings. Each week they have to pitch to sell some product ... and thats exactly what you're doing: selling your idea. Here's an example from The Apprentice:


And here's a satire on pitching - NB: contains some strong language

A few vids worth looking at

First up, one from our very own Chris Lawrence...

Nice!
This could be an interesting possibility for the A2, as an additional (not the main) production: mixing performance with film ( from your own) footage. Excellent bit of thinking outside the box there Chris!

Also thinking outside the box is Andy Rehfeldt; I've embedded his Abba as death metal remix below, but he also does this the other way round, eg Metallica as smooth jazz!

The copyright in his tracks would presumably be rather ambiguous, but you could nonetheless contact him and ask about using a track for a video (the board simply requires that you evidence your attempts to gain copyright clearance or permission).

Another postmodern take on the form now (with thanks to Mr Handley for bringing this to my attention!), a fine Father Ted pastiche of the lame Eurovision performance:

And finally for now, a practice vid from Latymer students, which may just be something you'll be doing very shortly after returning from the half-term hols!

Any thoughts/comments on any of these?

FinalCut experiments - vid eg

I've embedded below a clip from another centre where students have experimented with the chroma key function available in software such as FCE (an aspect JonnyH + Joel have been exploring recently). BRIEF videos such as this form useful evidence of your R+P, will help later with the evaluation, plus with various aspects of A2 exam Q1a (DCRUP), though you'd be advised to include info on software within these.
I am looking into buying some screen recording software to this end.

Early History1: Panorams

I'll be adding some detail on the history and development of the music video format in due course - you can of course start reading up for yourself using the book suggested: "Dancing in the Distraction Factory: Music Television and Popular Culture" by Andrew Goodwin
The video embedded below showcases an early archetype of video jukebox (one of several that emerged and disappeared many decades before MTV was even thought of), the Panoram...
Many of the suggested links alongside this video on YouTube point to clips from 'soundies' - sound in the movies was still a new, emerging phenomenon in the early 1930s, with musicals swiftly emerging as a key format/genre for Hollywoods industrial-style studios.

Try some simple research to discover in what year sound was first used in the cinema and the first 'talkie' or 'soundie' released - it does involve music, and a 'blacking up' process which wasn't controversial at a time when the US segregated the races but which is considered unquestionably racist today...

Cars (2nd pitch exercise)

Following up on our efforts with The Doors' "People Are Strange" today we used Gary Numan's classic "Cars" as stimulus ... with some genuinely impressive ideas emerging!
We didn't get time with 13D to look at the actual video; this is embedded below, followed by the lyrics, then a summary of some (don't have enough time to type in all!) of the ideas that emerged, some examples of cover versions and some links for further reading. It was generally felt (and I certainly agreed) by 13B that their ideas would work much better than the actual video - remember though that this was 1979, some years before the success of MTV made shooting a music video almost an automatic choice for any singles release. The generally basic look reflects the artist's techno-driven style and the technological limitations for videos shot and edited on low budgets (an Indie label released this song).

POST OUTLINE: After the video; the lyrics; snapshots of your ideas (+ some of mine), examples of covers (remember, you could always look to commission your own!); some useful links for further reading on this track.

ORIGINAL VID

*** LYRICS ***

Here in my car
I feel safest of all
I can lock all my doors
It's the only way to live
In cars

Here in my car
I can only receive
I can listen to you
It keeps me stable for days
In cars

Here in my car
Where the image breaks down
Will you visit me please?
If I open my door
In cars

Here in my car
I know I've started to think
About leaving tonight
Although nothing seems right
In cars

*** Released : August 1979 ***

SOME IDEAS SUGGESTED AS POSSIBLE MUSIC VIDz

tba

COVERS

There are many, many covers of this - just a few examples below. Numan himself notes:

This song has found new life and given Numan a great deal of exposure to another generation through covers by Fear Factory (with Numan singing on the track and appearing in the video), Nine Inch Nails, Dave Clarke, Kool G Rap & DJ Polo, The Judybats, and Tia. Says Numan: "It's been a most amazing thing, really, to keep hearing about the people that are doing cover versions. I was trolling around the other day for something totally unrelated and I came across a Youtube of Courtney Love's band, Hole, doing 'Cars.' I just thought, 'Yeah.' And there's a lot of that. It's very cool, and I don't take it for granted at all. I'm so totally blown away with a big grin on my face every time I hear that someone's done something like that. So it's not as if I'm kind of arrogantly expecting it. Quite the opposite." [Source]

Numan covers it himself in this ad:




Daft Punk


Synthpro - better audio quality at Myspace


Fear Factory


With Nine Inch Nails


Technologic [a cute little pussycat DJ!]


Blue Man Group

READ MORE:

Main Wiki on Gary Numan
Wiki on the song
Covering Cars with actual cars [gizmodo.com]
Again on this ad [technorati]
Bass tabs for the song
SongFacts.com guide to and analysis of the song/lyrics
RollingStone interview about Cars etc
Guide to playing on synth
Gary Hunter cover

Music vids as ads

We've discussed 2 examples, both of which used the expensive but prestigious ad-breaks within Saturday's X Factor to launch the campaign. In each cases we can see a company looking to extend (or consolidate) its reach to the lower end of the youth market, 15-24, with humour the main tool used to achieve this.

I came across these examples by reading the Media Guardian online - can i urge you all again to flick through this from time to time...

We can take from this the widening use of the music video format; as well as commercials for bands/singles/albums/tours/merchandise, as well as 'art films', we are seeing the form used within advertising - an ad trying to disguise its status as an ad!

In the 2nd example we get a straightforward use of juxtaposition which you could consider yourselves: the urban, bling-heavy rap set and performed in a farm by supposed farmer types wearing country clothing! Nice effects with the tractor, the owl and quirky shots of cows all thrown in.



The song dates back to 1980, so as well as our core youth target audience we're looking at clear appeal to a secondary nostalgic mature youth market, 35-44.


As Media Monkey notes:

At first glance Monkey was mightily impressed with the breathtakingly fresh, unique and offbeat approach the ad agency BBH had taken creating dairy company Yeo Valley's first TV ad. It was a a well-planned debut: Create an ad of a bunch of young "farmers" performing a rap homage to their trade and hog an eye-wateringly expensive two-minute slot in The X Factor's first live knockout round on Saturday. Except it seems that the idea for the campaign may not be that new at all. It seems a Canadian TV campaign from a year ago, the "Milk Rap" by the Dairy Farmers of Ontario, which aimed to make milk a bit "cooler" (strapline: "It doesn't get any cooler than this") featured a bunch of, you guessed it, young hip farming typers rapping about the virtues of the white stuff.
Spot the difference, you decide: here's the Yeo Valley TV ad and the Canadian Milk TV ad .

There's a nice link from this into our 2nd stimulus song: Cars...

Michel Gondry

We will look at Michel Gondry's varied work as one of two director case studies.

Michel Gondry (born May 8, 1963) is a French film, commercial and music video director and an Academy Award-winning screenwriter. He is noted for his inventive visual style and manipulation of mise en scène. [SOURCE: wiki]

I've added a links list to this blog if you want to explore Gondry in advance of any November lessons

Summer task

I'm not going to ask you to be slaving away over the summer; we all deserve a good break!
However, it would help us to hit the ground running if you had turned your mind, even quite briefly, to the topic of your A2 coursework. To this end I'd like you to do two things (and I'll also mention any AS coursework resubmissions):

1. Make brief notes on at least 10 examples of music videos, from any genre or any era. You're looking to build up a knowledge of codes and conventions beyond your existing knowledge. I will email you a detailed worksheet you can use, though use the 2-column sheet handed out in June (and available on this blog) if you wish.
2. Put together notes on an idea for a new music video for a track of your choice, enough to be able to discuss the idea on the first day back. If you want to get some early feedback on an idea feel free to email me; I'll check my email from time to time over the summer. Remember: no explicit language or sexually explicit references!

Anyone considering resubmitting revised coursework: if you email me a detailed breakdown of any improvements you think would advance your mark I'll look over it and add suggestions of my own. Email me if you want a copy of your marksheet to see where you lost marks

I'm looking forward to an interesting year in 2010-11 and to see what weird and wonderful music videos will emerge, which may include giant slugs in sleeping bags and fight scenes between Santa and Jesus if your practice pitches are anything to go by! Have a good summer, and thanks for all your effort this past year!

Strobe lighting

Joel asked about the use of strobe lighting and any prohibition on this. I had a look into this and found the following:

Most people with photosensitive epilepsy do not have a problem with using modern computer screens, as they usually operate at a very high flicker frequency.  Computers with flatscreen monitors, such as laptops, have a liquid crystal display (also called LCD or TFT) that does not flicker. This makes them even less likely to trigger seizures. What is often more important than the type of screen is what is happening on the screen. For example, a flickering image or changing geometric pattern could trigger a seizure.

The organisation Ofcom regulates material shown on TV to avoid causing photosensitive seizures. Ofcom restricts the flash rate to 3 flashes or less per second, and restricts the area of screen allowed for flashing lights or alternating patterns.

Because of the size of the screen and the low intensity it is rare for seizures to be triggered by watching films in a cinema, or by hand-held miniature screens.

Interactive whiteboards, sometimes used in schools, have not been found to be a particular trigger for photosensitive epilepsy, although triggers can be individual.

A seizure can sometimes happen by chance while someone is watching TV or playing computer games or watching television, and may be a coincidence.  Tiredness brought on by watching the screen for a long time, or excitement when playing computer games, may also be a factor.

Can disco lights trigger photosensitivity?

Coloured lights do not usually cause a problem if they do not flash quickly.  However, deep red flashing lights, such as rear cycle lights, and strobe (flashing) lights can trigger seizures, especially if it is dark. If you know you are photosensitive, it may be best to avoid strobe lights, or cover one eye if you are suddenly exposed to them.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) recommends that strobe lighting in nightclubs or public performances is kept to a frequency of four hertz (flashes per second) or less.

SOURCE: http://www.epilepsysociety.org.uk/AboutEpilepsy/Whatisepilepsy/Triggers/Photosensitiveepilepsy 

There have been examples of bans based on this regulation:

The promo for Kylie’s upcoming single ‘Wow’ was due for a world premiere on Channel 4 on Wednesday night, but it was pulled after TV watchdogs found it broke guidelines.
Ofcom found the video’s use of strobe lighting effects meant the promo was unbroadcastable as it could prompt epileptic fits.
A spokesperson for Channel 4 says a revised video will be shown, but Kylie’s now lost her high profile slot.
“We are waiting for the new version to be ready. It will be show on Music Playlist,” they state.

SOURCE: http://www.entertainmentwise.com/news/40329/kylie-minogue-video-banned

On a similar note:

You might think there’d be a great many reasons to criticise a Westlife performance on The X Factor – schmaltz, insincerity and over-reliance on standing from a stool after a key change, for example.

However, Ofcom were more concerned about the physical effect the lasers employed by the show’s lighting department might have on light-senstive sufferers of epilepsy.

And it turns out their fears might’ve been worthwhile, as the light intensity of the lasers in that show turned out to be five times as intense as they’re legally allowed to be.

SOURCE: http://watchwithmothers.net/2010/01/26/newsgush-ofcom-criticises-x-factors-westlife-performance/#more-4941

The Brit Vid...

So, 100 or so shots later here it is...

Well done to all of you, fantastic effort to pull this together! 12C are still working on a documentary on the MVDay so look out for that