Inspiration for music video

Throughout the planning and shooting stages of the production of our music video, we took inspiration for a range of aspects including shot types, action and costume from a number of different existing media products. One of our largest influences throughout the planning of our video was the band 'Madness'. Prior to the shooting of our own production, we did a variety of research into similar bands and their own video, which brought us to watch Madness' video for their hit 'One Step Beyond, discussed in greater detail in a previous post. This was the first time in which we as a group had come across a type of dance performed by the band called the 'Madness Walk'. We saw this as a perfect opportunity to increase the appeal of our own video, as well as take the opportunity to have a prominent reference within it. The walk is featured at the beginning of the video as shown below. It was a quirky and interesting way in which to referencesimilar artists,not to mention the fun shooting it!

Another of the references we used, and almost certainly our main reference, was both the film and tv series of 'This is England/'86). To really capture the urban feel of the genre, we wanted to include a number of shots of urban locations and scenes in our concept-based montage and took inspiration from This is England, in particular the scene where Shaun is seen walking along the wall when terraced housing is shown in the background. We focussed on this particular shot to influence two of the ideas from within our own video. Firstly we used the fact that Shaun was walking along the wall, and saw this to be a potential reference. We then took this idea as being from an existing media product and attempted a similar shot ourselves, shown near the beginning of the video (around ) where our acting band are shown walking across the pole in fast motion. We then added a reverse of the same shot directly after (as you can see from watching the video at the stated time) as this added an element of fun and quirkiness, hence conforming to the fun style of the ska genre. The movement of our actors (the way in which they are walking across the pole)can also be linked to the Madness Walk, previously mentioned, as we combined the idea of this scene from This is England with referencing an existing band of the same genre. (image blurred as screenshot from video).

We also imitated this shot in a different way, when focussing on the background setting of the terraced housing rather than the action of Shaun walking. We faced the camera out of a moving car window whilst driving past terraced houses. We used this footage to good effect towards the end of our video (around 2:10) and layered it over the top of other footage we had gathered showing the band 'skanking' (ska dance). This was in order to increase the appeal of the shot by making it more interesting, whilst further boosting it's reasoning to be included in the video by conforming to the conventions of the genre, by featuring the dancing ska-dressed actors on the second layer.

A large theme throughout our video is the use of monopoly money. We thought this to be a very relevant and interesting idea, considering the current economic climate as well as the economic situation at the time when ska/punk music was at it's peak popularity (1980's) as presented in the This is England '86 drama which we focussed heavily on, in which a large theme is that of unemployment due to the government at the time. We felt that by using monopoly money rather than actual money (as well as the fact that none of us have that much cash!), we were presenting the attitude of the characters from This is England regarding the importance of money, highlighting the fact that they saw the entire economic situation as a 'joke', as if it could be a game like monpopoly. For this reason we felt it highly appropriate to use the toy money.

Another reason for our use of monopoly money was to present our video's protagonist, the money-grabbing female. Because of the fact that monopoly is literally a board game, our utilisation of it presents the fact that the money-grabbing female is playing a game, as if she knows which 'moves' to make in order to gain money. It also implies that she is completely in control of this game she is playing, which can be linked to the term 'monopolisation' (discussed in detail in a self-titled post) meaning to be in complete control.

There were a range of shots in our video in which the main focus was around the monopoly money. For example the shot where the female hand is shown grabbing the money from the table. This is a very literal way in which we linked our footage to the title of our video. We also used a low angle shot of one of the male acting band members dropping money onto the camera. This presented how money is being taken from the average British citizen by the money-grabbing bankers as in the shot, the money is falling out of his grasp. It also highlights the idea that the money-grabbing female could be making financial gain from being the stereotypical money-grabber that she is represented as being, by taking money from the male characters. This particular shot was inspired by us watching a music video of a very different genre. From watching the video for 'Oh No' by the indie pop sensation 'Marina and the Diamonds' we discovered a variety of shots where she as the female singer is shown literally grabbing money and presenting herself as the stereotypical money-grabber. It was this particular shot, shown below, where she is shown picking up money viewed from a low angle through a pane of glass, which inspired our shot of the male character in our own video dropping the money onto the camera. This can be used as a direct intertextual reference for our shot, and the fact that we also played the shot backwards directly after likens it even more to the specific shot from the Marina and the Diamonds video where she is picking it up rather than dropping it.

Low angle shot from Marina and the Diamonds video, influenced shot in our own video, shown above.

Other shots involving the use of monopoly money within our production are the stop-motion animations which feature twice within our video. Prior to the shooting of our production stop-motion was an idea that we were considering greatly, and had unanimously agreed that the inclusion of at least a small section of it would increase the appeal of our production. The existing media product that further inspired our idea and pushed us to follow it through by showing us how effective it could be was a video called 'Monopoly Madness', which we came across by searching 'monopoly stop-motion' into Youtube (described in greater detail in a previous post). The video gave examples of ways in which we could use stop motion in a fun and relevant way (relevant as using the money, which relates strongly to our whole theme) so conforming to the fun and quirky concept of the ska genre. The fact that for the stop motion to be effective the editing has to be fast-paced is also a generic element of ska; the fast pace of editing is fitting to the upbeat pace of the track and conforms to the fast nature of typical ska music. Below is an example of the stop motion we used in our final video, using the money to spell out the word 'MONEYGRABBER'.

Development of reverse digipak panel - newsboard

My initial idea was to use an enlarged image of a slanted news board for the reverse cover of my digipak, as shown in a previous post. I have since experimented with various pictures I have taken outside local shops, and have found a different, yet very similar idea to be more effective.

Rather than using an entire news board for the reverse side, I will most likely use one of the images I have taken of a 2-dimensional news board against a brick wall. This idea has proved to be far more practical as using a 3-dimensional board posed the issue of getting the correct angle and size to fit the entire image so that you can still read the writing on the news board, whilst still having enough room to fit the track titles, being the initial idea. One shot I have taken is shown below. It was particularly difficult to achieve a good angle to fit the whole of the board on the screen of the camera.

Minimal amount of news board visible, and not enough room in which to place track titles.

Instead, these are a few I have taken on the board against the brick wall. One bonus of this progression of ideas is that the bricks can connote the urban atmosphere in which the majority of the music video itself was shot, and is fitting to the ska genre and youthful, urban target audience I am trying to appeal to. I can now also use the individual bricks as a method of showing the track names of the E.P. I can use Adobe Photoshop to insert text onto the bricks to make them look as though graffiti writing has been painted on them, as shown below. Development on this graffiti idea is shown in the previous post when analysing the 'Does it offend you, yeah?' album artwork.

Original shot of a news board against brick wall, greater space for track names to be shown, and bricks connote urban culture.

Photoshop can be used to remove original headline writing from image, using 'clone stamp' tool.

Photoshop can be utilised further to remove all writing, add effects to brick work, posterize news board to give bold, comic-like effect that is fitting of the genre, and text inserted on bricks to show track names as if graffiti.

This image is close to what i propose to be the final design for the reverse of my digipak.

'Does it offend you, yeah?' and 'Sam's town' digipak ideas

This album cover from the band ‘Does it offend you, yeah?’ is a good example of a similar effect to the one I shall be trying to achieve with my own design. With this artwork it is mainly the graffiti effect of the writing that I am focussing on. The use of a graffiti styled font presents an urban theme and connotes youth culture within the genre. As the target audience of my own digipak will be an urban, youth culture, I see this to be a good example of the style of writing I will be using on my own digipak.

The style of this graffiti does not so much connote the ska genre of my own productions, and instead works very effectively with bright, bold colours and a scruffy font against a dark background to present the electro/alternative genre of the band them self, as they too much like my own band have a youthful, urban target audience. For this reason, a graffiti style font (though likely to be a much bolder, clear font typical of the ska genre) is what I want to use for my own digipak.

I will be using this graffiti design on both the front and back of my digipak. On the back to present the track titles of the E.P., and on the front to use for the E.P’s name (Moneygrabber) up against an urban background, written on the wall of the background much like the style used on the next album cover...

... ‘Sam’s Town’ is an album by the alternative rock band ‘The Killers’. As you can see from the album artwork, there is a person in the foreground, with the name of the band and album appearing as if it has been painted on the wall of the urban background. It is a combination of these two album covers that I want to use for my own work. Like Sam’s town, I want to have the actors (as band members) in the foreground of the shot, with an urban graffiti wall as the background. Then I want the name of my E.P. to appear on the wall in the background as if it has been painted on like graffiti. As explained previously in this post, the graffiti and urban mise-en-scene is a typical convention of the ska genre and connotes the youthful target audience of which I am aiming it at.

Responsibilities

Our group for the planning and shooting of the music video consists of four members – Myself, Lizzie, Andy and Harley, however this group will be split into two sub groups for the editing of the videos to produce two differently edited videos. This will ensure that each member gets a larger input to the editing process and are taking up larger roles in it’s production. The majority of research has been conducted individually, though ideas have been shared within the group.

The group will be equally responsible for organising between ourselves, convenient times for shooting and getting actors/props together for shooting. We will all also be responsible for the care of the recording equipment (camera and tripod) during various stages of the shooting process.

Me

With regards to the production of our music video, I will be solely responsible for my own research and input to conventions of the genre to be included in the video. I will also be involved as an actor in some performance and concept aspects of the video, acting briefly as the trumpet player of the band. I will have a large input into the filming of the majority of shots and directing of the video. I will take my turn to be responsible for the looking after of camera and tripod to be brought to school each day and to shoots. Lizzie and I shall take equal responsibility with the editing of our video, using our own knowledge of both genre conventions and the editing programme itself to complete the production.

Lizzie

Will be responsible for both her own, and group input to research into conventions of the genre. She will take up largely a directing role within the group, and be in charge of ordering the actors to perform as looks best on the camera, however Andy, Harley and myself will also have large input into this also. Lizzie will most likely be taking the largest shooting role of the group, as the rest of us act as band members, jointly direct, and film during other shoots where we are not the focus of the camera. She will also be responsible for the looking after of the recording equipment, and have equal input with myself into the editing of the footage.

Andy

Will be responsible for both his own, and group input to research into conventions of the genre. Andy will be one of the main actors in the video, featuring prominently as the band’s guitarist. However he will be contributing as a joint director with the rest of the group, mainly from the lens end of the camera. When we as a group are conducting a shoot that is not focused on Andy, he will be equally taking responsibility for filming shots and directing. He too will have be looking after the equipment, and between Harley and himself will have equal responsibility for the editing of their own video.

Harley

Will be responsible for both his own, and group input to research into conventions of the genre. Harley will feature briefly as an actor as the band’s drummer. He will be equally responsible for the directing and shooting of the production when not the focus of the camera, whilst inputting ideas and thoughts towards shots and concept/genre conventions throughout the shooting and planning process. Between Andy and himself, equal responsibility will be shared for the editing of their own video, with constant input from both members on opinions and physical processes (the actual editing through Adobe Elements).

The Skanx - Moneygrabber: Final Cut

Narcissism

Narcissism is the personality trait of egotism, vanity, conceit, or simple selfishness. Applied to a social group, it is sometimes used to denote elitism or an indifference to the plight of others.

The name "narcissism" was coined by Freud after Narcissus who in Greek myth was a pathologically self-absorbed young man who fell in love with his own reflection in a pool. Freud believed that some narcissism is an essential part of all of us from birth. Andrew P. Morrison claims that, in adults, a reasonable amount of healthy narcissism allows the individual's perception of his needs to be balanced in relation to others.

• In the film Iron Man 2, Nick Fury tells Stark he cannot be a part of the Avengers Initiative because of his compulsive self-destructive behaviour, textbook narcissism and greed.
• In the film To Die For, Nicole Kidman's character wants to appear on television at all costs, even if this involves murdering her husband. A psychiatric assessment of her character noted that she "was seen as a prototypical narcissistic person by the raters: on average, she satisfied 8 of 9 criteria for narcissistic personality disorder... had she been evaluated for personality disorders, she would receive a diagnosis of narcissistic personality disorder."

Initial digipak design sketches

Front (right) and back (left) cover

This is the initial sketch idea for the outside covers of my digipak. The front cover, shown on the right hand side, will most likely feature a shot of the band and Jack (who was initially in the band, though over the shooting period has taken up more of a 'friend of the band' role). It will work well as being a generic image to represent the genre, and also instantly establish the band (actors in this instance) and genre. I will use large, bold lettering that is iconic of ska, to present the name of the band in the bottom corner. The track name will also featuer on the front cover being formed by monopoly money to spell out the word 'moneygrabber', which is strongly referencing our video as we used monopoly money in this way in the form of stop motion, and establishes the theme of the song as being about a money-grabbing woman. I am likely to include a chequered black and white border which is also iconic of the two-tone sub genre. I will also experiment with different image effects, such as adjusting the saturation, to improve the appeal of the image.

For the back cover of the CD case, i will be using a large image of a news bulletin board (more zoomed than in the illustration, shown by the arrows!) where on the board there will be a news headline referencing a contemporary money-related political issue such as the education cuts or banking disaster. This would again be relevant to the theme of the song (money-grabbing!) as the bankers of recent times have been publicised as being overly greedy with the administering of bonuses, causing drastic negative effects on the economy. This lack of money and jobs within society is also a large issue raised in This is England, which would be a good intertextual reference. On the reverse of the news board, which will be presented at an angle to the page to connote the quirky, fun nature of The Skanx and ska genre, will be the track listings and any other information necessary to the EP. I again adjust effects to make it more appealing.

Middle inserts

For the CD insert i am contemplating the idea of using close-up shots of the actors' faces, dressed in ska costume, facing the camera whilst looking at each other across a quartered page in an almost pop art style, not dissimilar to that of the Blur album cover 'Best of Blur' analysed in a previous post. this would establish the band members themselves, as well as presenting them in an interesting, quirky way that is fitting of the genre. i will most likely be using diagonally relative black and white colouring for the boxes in which the faces will be, as it is a simple iconographic of the two-tone genre.

Finally, for the face on which the CD itself will sit, i will be using a simple image of scattered monopoly money, which will be the sole focus of the page. This will again be referencing the stop motion sections of our video, as well as the song title itself. I feel that this will work effectively as it will be a bold design, typical of the genre, that will grasp the audience's attention upon opening the case. The bright primary colours of the money will represent the fun nature of all of the ska genre, it's carefree target audience, and the song itself. The connotations of freeness that this bright colour brings are in a sense ironic, as the audience of the song living amongst contemporary political issues are anything but free.