Making a decision on an artist.

We still havnt decided on an artist or a song to use for our music video practical. Next lesson as a group, we'll discuss properly the possiblities and quickly make a decision. Next lesson is tomorrow.

mise en scene in my AS thriller

The establishing shots show much of Chinatown in London because we wanted the audience to think we was there, but the actual location was in Bethnal green. A basement was best suited as it’s conventional for crime thrillers. The basement didn’t have any windows and had little lighting (partly because we arranged the darkness), most of the space was already taken up by boxes and cans of Chinese food and ingredients, these were our props, along with the ‘majong‘ table, which we surrounded around the characters.

Chinese triads dress formal and smart. The bodyguard is wearing a suit however the boss (Maria) is dressed smart yet sexy, this grabs the audience‘s attention. This provided an effect of a smart and dangerous; the audience will thus know who is the business men/ women and who is the victim (Dainai); she dressed in whatever she was wearing on the day as she is the civilian. We wanted to create a underground feeling with the kidnapping and interrogation. This would keep the audience interested and the trailer ends with a cliff hanger rather than a question.

Our thriller however is non- conventional in the fact that our main character is a short female boss, a male is seen as more dominant and powerful. The victim is also a black female which isn’t conventional as usually males get into trouble with gangsters. The bodyguard however is a male which is conventional. The height of the bodyguard increases his statute, and is even more increased by the shortness of the bosses height. Our first trailer was a test whether our dialogue needed to be better than the mise en scene and we discovered that the mise en scene said more than the characters could in a shorter amount of time.

Key narrative ideas to help steer influence on my music video

Key Narrative suggestions

Toradorov Propp suggested that conventional narratives are structured in 5 five stages.
a state of equilibrium at the outset
2. a disruption of the equilibrium by some action
3. a recognition that there has been a disruption
4. an attempt to repair the disruption
5. a reinstatement of the equilibrium
For example James bond films there is a disruption created and then it goes through the process but eventually solved.

Equilibrium = disequilibrium = new equilibrium
Narrative sense is provided to connect the story line.

Narrative involves transformation – situations are developed through the disruption progress.


Laura Mulvey
Women’s desire is subjected to there image in society. Feminist say Men look at women in patriarchal way because men phantasies and are obsessed with the appearance of women’ silent image. Feminist get frustrated with experiencing oppression as they feel controlled because of men’s physical obsession and assumptions of society.

Cinemas produce pleasurable clips in film, e.g.: obsessive over a woman’s looks because it fulfils sexual satisfaction can come from watching, in an active controlling sense.

Using another person as an object of sexual stimulation through sight, this can display narcissism and self ego.

A world of sexual imbalance, pleasure in looking has split between active/male and passive female. The determining male gaze projects its phantasy on to the female form which is styled accordingly. Women are displayed with their appearance coded for strong visual and erotic impact so that they can be said to connote to e to look at.
Women are displayed as sexual objects of erotic spectacles from pin ups to striptease, it simply plays and signifies male desire.

5 media concepts of a music video

Link to NdubZ - better not waste my time:- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xR9VeUdTzRM

The target audience of this music video would be teenagers between the age of 13-18 who live in the ‘ghetto’ areas of London. This most likely would be white or black males, working class and blue collar. The reason to this is because the lyrics to the song is all about living tough and things along those lines. Talking about money girls and getting out of the ‘ghetto’ through music. The characters and event he artists within the video are dressed ‘thuggish’ and appear to be violent. People like them will only watch them, and maybe even look up to them.

The genre is urban British hip hop. The beat is up beat and hard as well as the lyrics being spoken fast with no singing talent; apart from the girl who sings small parts with in the song mainly the chorus. It shows conventions of the genre such as hooded up youths and London estates, new era caps and a lot of psychical conflict between each other.

The story line is basically talking about how they are growing up well more growing in success, making more money and leaving their friends, ‘thus’, away and moving up in life. In the beginning it shows the baby carriage and from then ends with them entering a large coach, which is specified for them. And in between shows what they want and dream about as well as what they have now and what their situation used to be when they were younger like during secondary school.

The video is amateur made, only basic shots are used like long shots for groups; medium shots for singular persons; close up for facial expressions but are usually all the same. Most of the time the camera is hand held to create a shaky effect. One thing that they do is zoom in and out during shots which is a basic rule however they don’t seem to listen to it, it would be considered breaking conventions. On one occasion they speed up the video, which was during the time the third artist was writing on a piece of paper. It was speeded up to that what he was writing would keep up with the lyrics, like lip synching but on paper. The lip synching in general however is really bored and only fits during long mouth opening parts other than that it was bad synching.

The representation in this music video is that the 3 artist that make up N Dubz are discussing how their lives used to be and how it is changing. From being a baby to making music and surviving on their own; being bullied in primary and know being stronger; having troubles in secondary school but now making something out of their life through music even if other people put them down. These teenagers are represented as youths with common problems like school or bullying and basically being a menace to society but are taking themselves away by using music or hip hop. This is a common hope for a lot of youngsters. The way they dress and speak defines that they are ‘thugs’, hoddies and track suits don’t create a mature look.

The females in the video are seen as sex trophies. They dance among the men as a prize. They don’t seem to be on the same level. They are eating bananas from the guys hand which is sexual in the fact that the banana is represented as penis. The Jacuzzi is the ideal way to show this naughtiness in the fact that the girls don’t wear much and drink champagne, more loose. The men are thugs who steal, fight, or are generally rowdy and dress like ‘thugs’. most likely they dressed up like this on their own account rather than a studio wardrobe. They are probably friends of the artists and are just helping out to make the video. Thus creating the target audience. The organization of the video is to make them look threatening and powerful in the fact that they are from the ‘hood’. which is ironic as what they believe is power holds them back from success.

letter for copyright

Flat 3 135

Fernstreet

TowerHamlets

London E3 3PT

20th September 2009
Mischief productions
7 Dyson road
Stratford
London e15

Dear Huy Van Dang of mischief productions,

I request the copyright permission to use any song in your collection of albums (mischief songz) . I am a student of A level media studies and for my advanced portfolio I will be working in a group to produce a promotional package for the release of a new album track. I would like to request permission to use the above track for this project.

The finished project will not be made available publicly and will be used solely for coursework purposes. The holder of the original copyright will be fully acknowledged in the finished project.
If you do not hold the rights for this song I should be grateful if you forward this request to the appropriate person, or return it to me with contact details in order that I might approach the copyright holder directly.
Yours faithfully



BAASANDORJ GANBAT

Discussing 5 media concepts- rashpal kaur

R Kelly Gotham City music video – Discussing 5 media concepts
Narrative:
The narrative of the music video takes a non –linear approach. The clip shifts a lot displaying different settings, which reflect the different issues R Kelly, is singing. The settings are quite isolated this symbolises R Kelly’s main intention of wanting freedom this is also shown with movement’s and gestures of wanting liberty for him but also talking on behalf of the less fortunate children, which are later displayed at the end of the clip rejoicing. This suggests Vladimir Propp’s narrative theory links to R Kelly’s – Gotham city song, because it has a new equilibrium at the end. Therefore, Kelly is speaking as the central character representing the main message of free will. The lyrics link with the narrative well. It uses amplification because the illustrative imagery correlates with the meaning of the song, allowing viewers to relate with the song.

Genre:
The Gotham city song by R Kelly is an R & B song, which has an upbeat music, which works well with the constant change of the settings also reflecting all the cognitive thoughts flowing throughout the song.

Media language;
There is a lot of repetition of action where the central singer spreads his arms to demonstrate the freedom wanted for society. The fade out also help to convey that the song has a smooth feel to it, also the distant shots indicates freedom. The tracking and the jump cuts of R Kelly on the motor bike goes slow this reflects the mixed thoughts and events taking place. The camera zooming out makes R Kelly look venerable but also shows how he likes choice as this independence mirrors freedom in society.
This r & b clip fits a conventional genre because the editing uses cuts showing the rejoicing atmosphere but also the change in mood for the central character and people, which works well with Propp’s narrative theory.

Representation:
In relation to Vladimir Propp’s narrative theory, it links to R Kelly’s music video of Gotham City. At the beginning of the clip, there is equilibrium of R Kelly walking in different parts of the world slowly using a tracking shot, which links to the words he uses in the song; ‘looking over the…. City of justice, love and peace for every one of us’ revealing this idea of happiness by having these qualities.

The clip then leads onto a dis equilibrium where the children are stumbling in the street this represents the bad events that occur in society but then an older person that brings the situation to a new equilibrium supports the child.

The last section of the clip is the new equilibrium where the kids and society are dancing, swinging their arms rejoicing, and showing freedom for all at the end that is potentially his aim.

Audience:
The fact that the clip contains both adults as well as children and its an R&B song by R Kelly I assume the music video attracts 16 – 30 year olds, even older possibly. The lyrics and the change of settings make the audience sustain interest in the music video because each set relates to the lyrics quite coherently.

The Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1zi77tOV8M