Tuesday, 20 November 2012
Lauren's Shot Count
Shot Count
I counted 53 shots with in the first minute and then times that by 3 to gain an approximation of the full video shot count this came to 159 in total.
The main type of shots used were close up on the band, characters and objects with in the video. There were a few long shots of the band and had them staring at a downwards angle to the camera.
Andrew Goodwin's theory can relate to this video in many aspects such as the technical aspects the editing is fast and has exploding effects keeping in tune with the fast pased lyrics and 'explosive' meaning.
The narrative and performance of this video constantly constantly flicks between the band and hte characters and show the man leaving a woman in a car and walking away with a gun.
Their star image suits the nature of the song, they, the band members use masks to conceal their identity.
Sophie - 2nd Digipak Analysis
Digipak Analysis 2
BLACK SABBATH
This Digipak uses the image of a person standing alone in a field in autumn on it’s front cover. The back cover shows the same scene but this time focusing on a different area within the scene, showing a tree that is presumably positioned around the other side of the house in the first photograph. The image itself is quite sinister as the figure standing in the field is quite disturbing; she is dressed in all black (specifically she is wearing a cape or cloak) and appears to be wearing very dark, skeleton-like makeup, obscuring her eyes. Both sides of the outside of the album appear to be quite morbid, with themes of decay as they show a rotting tree and a house that looks as if it might crumble. On the inside of the cover there are two photographs, both showing the band. These are important because it introduces the audience to the people who are making the music.
The text on this Digipak remains similar throughout; the Black Sabbath logo is used on both the cover and one of the disks. The rest of the text used is a simple font that is easy to read. The text colours have been based on the background colour, with white text on a black background and black text on a white background. On the track listings the text telling the audience which disk is which is presented in a deep red colour, matching the leaves on the album cover. The text on the actual CD case is generally always at the top, whereas on the disks themselves it is positioned at the bottom. This is easier for the audience to read as they would generally tend to look at the top of the CD case first, to find the title. The acknowledgements are places in the bottom left hand corner on the back of the case which is where they would generally be found. The title text is always bigger on this CD case whereas the track listings and other text is generally smaller. This puts emphasis on the title and draws the audience’s attention to the band’s name.
The text and the images work together well because the dark morbid feel of the images used compliments the pointed fonts used in the track listing. The photograph also matches the font used in the band’s logo, which is quite gothic and old fashioned. The use of light and dark colours together is also useful because it allows the text to stand out against the background so that it is easier to read and draws the audience in. It also gives the album a more visually pleasing look overall.
The album has quite an iconic look overall and fits the heavy rock genre as gothic fonts have been used along with creepy visuals and quite dark or washed out colours. The logo used is iconic because it is Black Sabbath’s logo, which makes the album appear highly recognizable to the audience.
The most significant part of the advert would be the title as it is telling the audience who the band is and is also presented in the bands own font. It also stands out well against the background because it is quite bold and is printed in a dark black font.
The woman in the photograph is also quite significant because she is central in the photograph and is the only person present, with the rest of the image focusing on scenery. The audience is immediately drawn to the woman standing in the middle of the frame because she is wearing very dark clothes, which makes her stand out greatly against the dull white sky and building.
This album was Black Sabbath’s first and we can tell this because the cover and imagery is fairly simple without any intricate designs. Despite its simplicity, the visuals give the audience a feel of what type of music the band produces as it uses dark imagery and old-fashioned fonts, which produces a moody effect, typical of heavy rock music.
Due to the overall design of the Digipak we can safely assume that it is aimed at a more specialist audience – specifically fans of rock and metal music. The dark design of the album would be more suited to metal fans as it portrays the genre of music much better than a bright, pop cover would.
Sophie - 2nd Video Analysis
Music Video Analysis 2
I chose to analyse Helicopter by Bloc Party as it fits the genre I am looking at and is a good example of editing techniques and mise en scene that could prove to be useful in the formation of ideas when creating our music video. Bloc Party are quite a diverse band with simple yet - at the same time - obscure videos, which is frequent within the rock genre.
The video begins by zooming in on what appears to be a small building. The entire video is in black and white, giving it a more quirky feel and allowing the audience to focus on everything in the video rather than getting distracted by bright colours. The lack of colour also gives the video quite a minimalistic feel and allows the audience to focus more on the music and the editing. The music at the start of the video is quite quick and consists only of guitars until a fairly fast paced drum beat also kicks in. There is some use of 'Thought Beats' throughout the video, matching the drums, bass and sometimes guitars although this is not always consistent - though the lack of consistency adds to the fragmented feel of the overall music video.
The editing itself is very quick and there are a lot of shot changes. This, compared with the choppy editing effects and the grainy overlay in some scenes give the video a very distorted and confusing feel, matching the odd lyrics of the song. The effects used also give the video a very gritty effect and the fast paced editing confuses the audience and makes them question the video and the song. Some of the effects make it seem as if the audience are watching the band through a television with bad reception and some of the white edits make the band appear ghostlike, which gives the video quite a unique but disturbing effect.
The video consists almost completely of shots of the setting and the band members. Their clothes are casual and fit their overall style; they are mostly wearing dark colours with occasional logos (Batman) or personal changes (the sleeves are torn off of the drummer's shirt). This shows a sense of normality in the strange world that we are shown but also incorporates the band's personal style. All of the band members have medium length to long hair which is a common style within the rock genre. The video takes place entirely in one building - much like the Maximo Park video from my Shot Count - although this time the camera follows the band throughout the location, rather than just staying within one room of the building. The editing and camera movements help to add a creepy atmosphere to the setting and enhance the strangeness and obscurity of the setting.
Instruments also play a big part in the video as they are present in almost every shot within the video. One of the first shots in the video (0:03) shows a close up of a guitar and from there the video focuses on the rest of the instruments and the band members playing them. The use of instruments within the video adds to it's overall imagery and ties in with it's genre, as rock, indie and alternative videos often include images of instruments (particularly guitars).
The video doesn't seem to contain a narrative as there is no story to be found throughout the video. It is mainly compiled of dark imagery and shots of the band performing. Occasionally it will show all of the band together or a few band members together but the majority of the video focuses on each individual member, particularly the lead singer.
The band are continuously present throughout the majority of the video, meaning that a star image is presented to the audience. This is important as it introduces us to the band and allows us to look at the people behind the music. Bloc Party are an established band and are quite well known to the public so they will recognise the band members from previous videos and live performances. Showing the band will also help people to establish who they are - Bloc Party's songs are very diverse and versatile and none sound the same so it is important for the audience to establish who they are listening to.
The video begins by zooming in on what appears to be a small building. The entire video is in black and white, giving it a more quirky feel and allowing the audience to focus on everything in the video rather than getting distracted by bright colours. The lack of colour also gives the video quite a minimalistic feel and allows the audience to focus more on the music and the editing. The music at the start of the video is quite quick and consists only of guitars until a fairly fast paced drum beat also kicks in. There is some use of 'Thought Beats' throughout the video, matching the drums, bass and sometimes guitars although this is not always consistent - though the lack of consistency adds to the fragmented feel of the overall music video.
The editing itself is very quick and there are a lot of shot changes. This, compared with the choppy editing effects and the grainy overlay in some scenes give the video a very distorted and confusing feel, matching the odd lyrics of the song. The effects used also give the video a very gritty effect and the fast paced editing confuses the audience and makes them question the video and the song. Some of the effects make it seem as if the audience are watching the band through a television with bad reception and some of the white edits make the band appear ghostlike, which gives the video quite a unique but disturbing effect.
The video consists almost completely of shots of the setting and the band members. Their clothes are casual and fit their overall style; they are mostly wearing dark colours with occasional logos (Batman) or personal changes (the sleeves are torn off of the drummer's shirt). This shows a sense of normality in the strange world that we are shown but also incorporates the band's personal style. All of the band members have medium length to long hair which is a common style within the rock genre. The video takes place entirely in one building - much like the Maximo Park video from my Shot Count - although this time the camera follows the band throughout the location, rather than just staying within one room of the building. The editing and camera movements help to add a creepy atmosphere to the setting and enhance the strangeness and obscurity of the setting.
Instruments also play a big part in the video as they are present in almost every shot within the video. One of the first shots in the video (0:03) shows a close up of a guitar and from there the video focuses on the rest of the instruments and the band members playing them. The use of instruments within the video adds to it's overall imagery and ties in with it's genre, as rock, indie and alternative videos often include images of instruments (particularly guitars).
The video doesn't seem to contain a narrative as there is no story to be found throughout the video. It is mainly compiled of dark imagery and shots of the band performing. Occasionally it will show all of the band together or a few band members together but the majority of the video focuses on each individual member, particularly the lead singer.
The band are continuously present throughout the majority of the video, meaning that a star image is presented to the audience. This is important as it introduces us to the band and allows us to look at the people behind the music. Bloc Party are an established band and are quite well known to the public so they will recognise the band members from previous videos and live performances. Showing the band will also help people to establish who they are - Bloc Party's songs are very diverse and versatile and none sound the same so it is important for the audience to establish who they are listening to.
Sophie - Video analysis
Music Video Analysis
I have chosen to analyse Vlad the Impaler by Kasabian. I chose this video because I have decided to research Indie and Alternative rock, as rock itself is a large genre with lots of sub-genres and styles. I also thought that this video tied in well with my previous research as it is from the album being advertised in my advert analysis.
The song begins with a distorted, echoing guitar riff as a colourful, old fashioned movie screen shows titles ('Sergio Pizzorno presents', 'A Ricardo Elfio Film', 'Roman Tarisov in') as if a movie is about to begin. The guitar then disappears and a low bass riff begins as the scene switches to Noel Fielding dressed in a cloak, carrying a large stake. He is walking along a long dirt track. The main title of the video shows up in white but uses a sort of pouring, dripping effect and is drenched in red (probably to represent that blood that is later spilled in the video).
The editing used in the video sometimes matches the beat of the music, incorporating Andrew Goodwin's theory of thought beats, somewhat. A good example of this is a shot between 0:46 to 0:49 as the beat of the song matches Noel's feet touching the ground as he walks. The editing is also sometimes quite disjointed, moving to it's own pace. Thecamera movement used in one scene (1:11 to 1:20) uses a point of view shot, showing everyone running away from 'Vlad' which draws the audience further into the video as it gives the illusion that they are running with the people.
Mise en Scene is very important in this video as Noel's costume links with the title of the song, telling the audience who he is. He is wearing a long, black cape and is ghostly white with a thick black moustache and dark eye makeup. The song's title is 'Vlad the Impaler' so it is suggested straight away through the use of costume and makeup that that is who Noel is portraying. The colours used in the video are very dark which gives the video a very negative, creepy feel. There is also a large use of the colour red throughout the video, used to represent the murders committed and the blood that goes along with them. A lot of fake blood has been used in some scenes which adds to the horror movie feel that is displayed in the video. The setting used in the video is also very bleak as it is a wide open space covered in open feels, giving the scene a sense of inhuman emptiness. Another setting used is a dark forest which also ties in with the horror movie feel of the video, as forests are a common setting for a lot of horror films. The costumes of the victims are very normal and simple which allows the audience to relate to them and also makes Noel stand out in comparison, making him look strange and dangerous.
The narrative of the video is fairly easy to follow; we follow 'Vlad' around a large countryside as he hunts victims and chases them, eventually staking them to death. This takes up the majority of the video until the end where we see 'Vlad' being warded off by nuns with flaming stakes. The video itself is presented like an old horror film, using movie-style titles and film grain effect.
Kasabian are not actually present within the video (although the singer - Sergio Pizzorno- is mentioned within the titles). This means that there is no star image presented to the audience as the band are not introduced in the video and therefore, the audience does not know what they look like from this video alone (although this song was released on their third album, so anyone with prior knowledge of Kasabian will most likely already be aware of what they look like).
Sophie - digipak analysis
Digipak Analysis
MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR - THE BEATLES
The Digipak that I have chosen to analyse 'Magical Mystery Tour' by The Beatles, which I chose because The Beatles are one of the earliest and most iconic examples of rock music. I think that this digipak contains a lot of diverse images and colours, which makes it a good example to analyse.
The front cover of the Digipak shows the band (John, Paul, George and Ringo) in various animal costumes which ties in with the name of the album, as it is quite abnormal. The cover uses very bright colours and has a sort of cartoon-ish theme. The album title is presented in a bold, bubble font and is filled with rainbow colours that make the title look as if it is jumping off of the box. The band's name is also presented in a whimsical way as it is spelt out using bright yellow, cartoon stars. The background of the photograph shows multicoloured stars falling around the band and the album itself uses a mixture of bright orange and turquoise. This creates a colour clash that is very eye-grabbing for the audience and gives connotations of magic. The band have also chosen to include the songlist on the front in an obscure font, as well as on the back of the box, where it is presented in a plain, black font - this makes it easier to read. There are further photographs of the band throughout the digipak - they are located on the inside sleeves and the accompanying booklet, as well as being drawn on the back of the pack in cartoon form. This gives the CD a sort of brand identity as it shows The Beatles iconic style, showing the audience who the artist is from the outset. There is also a very plain inside sleeve which is simply white with a photo of an apple in the centre. This advertises the record label to the audience by making it easy to see and using a logo.
The CD itself is black but includes a rainbow gradient outline, which ties in with the overall presentation of the album. It also includes a tracklist, the band's name and the album title in a plain white font which stands out against the black background and also adds an extra reminder to the audience of the artist and their music.
The text and images compliment eachother well because they all give off a sense of a 'Magical' journey. A rainbow of colours is used as well as cartoon doodles and fonts which adds to this mystical feel and gives it a sort of entertaining, circus-like feel. A range of fonts are used throughout, which gives the presentation a more jumbled, fun feel which makes the album appear somewhat like an old children's cartoon (though it is not necessarily aimed at children but moreso to an adult audience).
The album itself does not look at all like a rock album in the slightest with it's bright colours and childish themes but it is a good example of how diverse album art can be for the genre and proves that dark and disturbing themes are not always associated with rock music. It is iconic - as with most Beatles albums - as it associates itself with the bands unique style and views as well as giving a good feel as to what kind of music can be heard on the CD.
The most significant part of this album is the imagery; it is so odd and peculiar that it attracts a sense of great interest. It leaves the audience wondering what is going on in the images and makes them want to buy the album to see what the strangeness is all about. The album is full of bold fonts and bright colours which makes it stand out from other, plainer albums and gives off a very fun aura. The fact that there are photos of the band is also very significant as they are very well known people that were very well-liked at the time and still remain so to this day. All of the images show the audience familiar faces which also may attract them to buy the album.
We can tell that this album is not The Beatles' first as it shows a lot of production and work has gone into the presentation; particularly the cover and the cartoons on the back. We can tell this because a first album would probably have a more simple, less intricate design in comparison to the bright eye-catching cover of Magical Mystery Tour.
This album would most likely attract a diverse audience as The Beatles were a widely-liked band and the style of their music had a sense of distinction about it. It would mainly attract fans of The Beatles, although a lot of people may have seen the album in stores and been intrigued by the bizarre and eccentric imagery on the cover.
sophie - advert analysis
Advert Analysis
The image used in this advert is the actual album art from ‘West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum’. The image shows the band (Kasabian) sitting in – what looks like – a prop or costume cupboard. The main colour displayed within the picture is black, which could give the band and their album a darker feel. It also includes a deep reddish maroon colour which could be used to represent mystery. The picture itself is arranged so that the audience is able to see the entire band.
There are two fonts used in this advert. The first is used to display the band’s name and is presented in a deep maroon colour, very similar to the colour of some of the clothes used in the photograph. The name is shown in the band’s logo font and is very large and positioned directly underneath the photograph of the band. The second font used is presented in a black and is still bold despite being smaller in size. This font is used to display the name of the band’s album and its release date and it is also positioned directly under the band’s name, creating a sense of organization within the advert which is not present within the photograph.
The text and the font tie in well together because the colours used in the font and the photograph are very similar. Bland colours such as beige are combined with the use of bold, dark colours such as black and maroon to create bland yet intriguing qualities. The dark text and the photograph also stand out greatly against the plain, light background and the colours used give the advert quite a dated feel overall. The font and the photograph are quite informal and artistic, which is something the audience would expect to see. The font used would also be a big draw to the audience because it is the band’s logo, which would create a sense of familiarity (especially when combined with the photograph of the band) to the audience. The name of the album also relates to the promotional image which displays a claustrophobic setting which could easily be interpreted as an asylum.
The clothes worn by the band in the photograph are quite iconic because they are mostly insipid colours and have somewhat of a vintage feel which ties in with ties in with the bands alternative background. The clothing is also a bit thrown together and makes the band appear quite out of place, possibly tying in with the name of the album (‘West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum’). The font used in the band’s name is also iconic as it is their logo, which would be very recognizable amongst fans and people who are familiar with Kasabian. The photograph represents inmates at an asylum dressing up for a party in the asylum, referencing the West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylums that were built in West Yorkshire in the 1880s.
The most significant part of the advert is the title despite the photograph being the predominant feature. The text on the poster allows us to easily define what kind of band Kasabian are as the fonts and backgrounds used are those that are quite common with indie or alternative bands. The colours used also help us to reach this conclusion as they are very toned down – if it was a pop advert it would probably feature bright colours or if it was a heavy metal advert it would present very dark colours, rather than a mix of light and dark.
The advert gives the audience a feel of what the band’s music may be like. The colours, photographs and themes suggest that the music is dark and unique and is not something you would see or hear every day. Despite its blandness, the advert stands out because the band are all dressed in odd clothes – possibly suggesting that they themselves are as unique as their music. The advert proposes that the band is under a non-mainstream label as the album artwork is not as generic as a lot of pop albums.
The advert is most likely aimed at a more niche audience as the images used are very abnormal and would suggest that they are a very exclusive band. The band’s overall look suggests that they are a personification of their music, which is strange and quirky, as the image promotes.
Sophie - shot count
Shot Count
I chose an indie/alternative video for my shot count analysis as my group has chosen to focus on rock music, which has many sub-genres. We would like to explore these genres before settling for a specific style of music for our final music video and so we have all chosen to look at a different sub-genre of rock.
I chose to use 'Graffiti' by Maxïmo Park and I counted 185 shot changes in the video, which is a lot. The editing within the video is very fast paced and shaky which adds to the odd, disjointed feel of the video and represents the confusing lyrics very well. The cuts also allow us to see all of the band throughout the video, as it does not focus on one specific member. The fact that the room that the band are in is very small adds to the strange feel of the video, along with the band member's awkward facial expressions and the erratic movements they perform throughout the video. The quick, distorted editing within the video is quite confusing to the audience's mind as they are trying to take in a lot at once. This jumpy editing also allows the audience to focus more on the music and lyrics as they are not completely focused on the visuals.
The main shots used were mid-shots and medium close ups of the band and close ups of the singer. This shows the audience who the people are behind the music, introducing them to each member of the band. There was also some use of close ups on the singer's face and the instruments which gave the video more of an awkward, claustrophobic feel.
There is no particular narrative to the video as it just shows the band performing their song in a cramped, low-lit room. There is no clue as to where they actually are or why they are there and the video only focuses on the band members themselves, who are mainly jumping around and dancing as they perform to the audience.
We can tell that it is an alternative video through the way that the band are presented. The odd lyrics, people and mise en scene in the video give off an edgy, unique feel which is often associated with alternative music. We can also tell that this is quite an early song (released on their first album in 2006) from the actual quality of the video, which is quite grainy.
Becca - video analysis
Slipknot - Dead Memories
I choose to analyse Slipknot's music video for Dead Memories, to remain in-keeping with my earlier research, as it is from the album "All Hope Is Gone", for which I did my DigiPak analysis. The video opens with a shot of a building in Iowa, the American state from which the band is from, showing to be a more personal location to them. A pull focus shot reveals the bands frontman Corey Taylor to be unmasked, which is a very rare occurrence, as the masks are usually used as an icon for the band. The opening shots seem bleak, with dull colours and a whistling wind emphasizing his loneliness, as he walks through empty streets, holding a shovel. Eventually he arrives at a field, where he begins to dig, as the music and rain simultaneously begin together. There is a heavy emphasis on the thought beat, with the shots changing on the subtle symbol beats that begin in the background, frequently changing angles distances to keep the scene varied, showing a rapidly changing pace. The originally slow and rhythmic music was matched my the frontmans melancholy mood, which is suddenly contrasted by fast paced shots with Corey behaving somewhat erratic now.
Eventually Corey falls through the ground, landing in a room from the ceiling, showing a clever use of match continuity. He is now wearing his mask again, showing the significance of the iconography lands in an odd position, as though defying gravity, an idea that seems to be confirmed by the bands DJ, Sid, crawling over walls. Corey seems to look for an escape by checking a curtained window, with the lyrics "I can't go back again" showing a literal response, and that he has to go forward to escape, suggesting a metaphorically speaking way also, so to escape his emotions he has to move on fro the past troubles. The next few shots reveal Corey trying to leave the room, being held by by Sid, with the lyrics "When I got away I only got so far", showing that his problems are still holding him back, meaning he can't fully escape, subtly shown by the visual representation.
Upon leaving the room, he enters another, in which the drummer Joey is being surrounded by women, who seem to worship him, suggesting that they're acting as temptation, feeding him strawberries, and brushing his hair etc. It is at this point that the notion of temptation suggests that the song could be about addiction, be it to love, drugs, alcohol, etc, showing the journey of breaking the habit. The high key lighting of the room again shows how the temptation of things like addictions can be positive when seen for the first time, showing them to be enticing, and when Joey looks in the mirror and Corey's face is the reflection it shows that he may have already travelled this road.
The fast paced shots continue as Corey again leaves the room to enter another, showing the bands sampler Craig centrally stood, with the scene being in an odd black and white effect. The lack of colour could show how any positive feelings have been drained, showing that the world has now become bleak. Upon Craig piercing something on the nails of his mask, a sort of explosion occurs, leaving Corey stunned and somewhat blinded stumbling through to the next room. The editing here becomes increasingly erratic, showing Corey to be confused, surrounded by mirrors and a lot of his own reflection, while the bands bassist Paul, seems to taunt him before shattering a mirror, suggesting that this scene is about breaking away from negative things, emphasised by the low key lighting, which shows this to be one of the more serious scenes.
He then falls through another door, landing in a room with percussionist Shawn and lots of young women. Both men are restrained by the seductively dressed women, suggesting how people can be a barrier, with low key lighting adding to the intensity of the mood. Eventually, after more rapidly paced shots from varying angles, Corey breaks away from the women to enter yet another door. The room has white walls and excessively bright lighting, contrasted by the lead guitarist, Mick, standing in the way of the exit door, wearing all black. The guitar solo kicks in as Mick's room comes on screen, as though acknowledging him for his main part in the song. The shots alternate between the two men, showing Corey tiny in stature compared to Mick, showing that he is the symbol for the intimidating barricade that needs to be passed to move on, both physically for the video, and metaphorically for the emotional aspect. Corey struggles to break down the barrier, with the music becoming more melodic and the vocals sound more haunting as he breaks manages to enter the next room.
The next room is very much like the one with Shawn, except this one is like a contrasting version, with bright lighting and walls, and the guitarist Jim enjoying being there, rather than being restrained by them. The feathers resemble the result of a pillow fight, adding a playfulness to the video, backed up by the music kicking in loudly again. This suggests that this is the light at the end of the tunnel, and that breaking down the barrier has positive effects on the other side, showing that sometimes letting go is the key. Corey then enters the final room in which percussionist craig is burning candles, making the room more serendipitous than the others, as well as really slow paced editing, contrasting the rest of the video. The lighting is low key, adding to the atmosphere, with the time crossed out on the walls seeming like he has been counting down the days to escape the personal prison he has been trapped in, and can finally leave. Upon blowing out a candle, Corey returns to the ditch he was digging in the field, showered in rain, wearing his mask, while looking at his unmasked self, as the music and image comes to a halt.
The video cleverly uses various lighting, editing paces and contrasting images to keep it interesting, while linking the end of the narrative to the start. Although there are some literal lines, a lot of the lyrics and imagery are left to the viewers imagination to guess what the problem is. The video features emphasis on all members, so no one is overlooked, and everyone is appreciated for their contribution, showing again that they are close knit. The video defies common convention for something in the rock/metal genre, as they feature no like performance, unlike most videos of this style, instead featuring members during their parts of the song, e.g Mick Thompson for the guitar solo, etc. There is also a fairly high attention to detail on the thought beats, subtly changing in time with the music, while the lighting also changed to match the atmosphere of the music.
Eventually Corey falls through the ground, landing in a room from the ceiling, showing a clever use of match continuity. He is now wearing his mask again, showing the significance of the iconography lands in an odd position, as though defying gravity, an idea that seems to be confirmed by the bands DJ, Sid, crawling over walls. Corey seems to look for an escape by checking a curtained window, with the lyrics "I can't go back again" showing a literal response, and that he has to go forward to escape, suggesting a metaphorically speaking way also, so to escape his emotions he has to move on fro the past troubles. The next few shots reveal Corey trying to leave the room, being held by by Sid, with the lyrics "When I got away I only got so far", showing that his problems are still holding him back, meaning he can't fully escape, subtly shown by the visual representation.
Upon leaving the room, he enters another, in which the drummer Joey is being surrounded by women, who seem to worship him, suggesting that they're acting as temptation, feeding him strawberries, and brushing his hair etc. It is at this point that the notion of temptation suggests that the song could be about addiction, be it to love, drugs, alcohol, etc, showing the journey of breaking the habit. The high key lighting of the room again shows how the temptation of things like addictions can be positive when seen for the first time, showing them to be enticing, and when Joey looks in the mirror and Corey's face is the reflection it shows that he may have already travelled this road.
The fast paced shots continue as Corey again leaves the room to enter another, showing the bands sampler Craig centrally stood, with the scene being in an odd black and white effect. The lack of colour could show how any positive feelings have been drained, showing that the world has now become bleak. Upon Craig piercing something on the nails of his mask, a sort of explosion occurs, leaving Corey stunned and somewhat blinded stumbling through to the next room. The editing here becomes increasingly erratic, showing Corey to be confused, surrounded by mirrors and a lot of his own reflection, while the bands bassist Paul, seems to taunt him before shattering a mirror, suggesting that this scene is about breaking away from negative things, emphasised by the low key lighting, which shows this to be one of the more serious scenes.
He then falls through another door, landing in a room with percussionist Shawn and lots of young women. Both men are restrained by the seductively dressed women, suggesting how people can be a barrier, with low key lighting adding to the intensity of the mood. Eventually, after more rapidly paced shots from varying angles, Corey breaks away from the women to enter yet another door. The room has white walls and excessively bright lighting, contrasted by the lead guitarist, Mick, standing in the way of the exit door, wearing all black. The guitar solo kicks in as Mick's room comes on screen, as though acknowledging him for his main part in the song. The shots alternate between the two men, showing Corey tiny in stature compared to Mick, showing that he is the symbol for the intimidating barricade that needs to be passed to move on, both physically for the video, and metaphorically for the emotional aspect. Corey struggles to break down the barrier, with the music becoming more melodic and the vocals sound more haunting as he breaks manages to enter the next room.
The next room is very much like the one with Shawn, except this one is like a contrasting version, with bright lighting and walls, and the guitarist Jim enjoying being there, rather than being restrained by them. The feathers resemble the result of a pillow fight, adding a playfulness to the video, backed up by the music kicking in loudly again. This suggests that this is the light at the end of the tunnel, and that breaking down the barrier has positive effects on the other side, showing that sometimes letting go is the key. Corey then enters the final room in which percussionist craig is burning candles, making the room more serendipitous than the others, as well as really slow paced editing, contrasting the rest of the video. The lighting is low key, adding to the atmosphere, with the time crossed out on the walls seeming like he has been counting down the days to escape the personal prison he has been trapped in, and can finally leave. Upon blowing out a candle, Corey returns to the ditch he was digging in the field, showered in rain, wearing his mask, while looking at his unmasked self, as the music and image comes to a halt.
The video cleverly uses various lighting, editing paces and contrasting images to keep it interesting, while linking the end of the narrative to the start. Although there are some literal lines, a lot of the lyrics and imagery are left to the viewers imagination to guess what the problem is. The video features emphasis on all members, so no one is overlooked, and everyone is appreciated for their contribution, showing again that they are close knit. The video defies common convention for something in the rock/metal genre, as they feature no like performance, unlike most videos of this style, instead featuring members during their parts of the song, e.g Mick Thompson for the guitar solo, etc. There is also a fairly high attention to detail on the thought beats, subtly changing in time with the music, while the lighting also changed to match the atmosphere of the music.
Becca - advert analysis
Advert Analysis - Trivium's "The Crusade"
The title "The Crusade" brings to mind battle or aggression, which is shown through the warrior, wielding a sword and holding what looks like a bloody vein. This distorted creature is in keeping with the dark mood set by the use of colours, as well as the Gothic style of font used for most of the writing. This type of image is typical of the genre, with many rock and metal albums using things such as skulls, swords, and gore, etc, for a lot of their artwork, which is completely different to things that are on pop albums.
Other than the warrior, the main focus the bands name, again in a bold colour to contrast the black, using a large font to draw the attention of the audience. This suggests that they wanted to make a bold comeback in attempt to live up to the reputation they earner from their previous album "The Ascendancy" which made them famous in the metal scene, for which they would need something "in your face". The "T" in "Trivium" also looks like a sword, which is similar to the one wielded by the soldier, again emphasising the bands importance and showing that they want to be recognised as a good band for their hard work in creating something different from the usual rock genre. The advert also contains information about the album, such as it already being release, a few songs from it, and being available for purchase from HMV, as well as a details about their up and coming tour.
Becca - Digi Pak
DigiPak - Slipknot-All Hope Is Gone
The front cover of the album features all nine members of the bands, wearing their masks and jumpsuits for which they are famous, and a holographic nine pointed star, which they use to represent each member of the band. The band is stood in an empty field, with blackened skies, showing very little light and happiness, fitting with the albums title of “All Hope Is Gone”. It also contains the bands name, title and a label saying that it is a special edition, featuring a cd, dvd, and bonus tracks, etc. This gives the audience all the information that they require, including an explicit content label.
The back cover features a close up of a thorn, being the only thing in focus, with a grey background, sticking with the atmospheric style of the front cover. It also contains four holographic images of the Slipknot S, running along the background. The track listings run horizontally on the album, contrasting the image of the thorn and the S, showing them to be of importance, although they are wrote a lot smaller than the majority of track listings, taking up very little room by comparison. It also has credits, including production and direction, as well as labels and the barcode.
The other images featured in the DigiPak are stills from the music videos filmed for the album, primarily from “Psychosocial”, which was the biggest hit from the album. The photos also follow with the dark theme, showing the set of the video, featuring run down buildings and empty forests. It also features the band wearing alternate masks, with huge heads, showing a possible different style for this album. All of the photos and videos for the album were directed by one of the bands percussionists, showing his style, and the way he wants to portray the band.
Because this is the special edition album, it came with an extra DVD, featuring videos on how the band made the album, as well as the actual CD. Both have images similar to that of the stills on the DigiPak, showing a moody, dark atmosphere, and images from some of their music videos. They also both contain the nine pointer star, again showing the unity of the band and how much they seem to think of each other, contrasting the name "All Hope Is Gone", sending a fairly positive message to the audience.
Thursday, 15 November 2012
Shot Count - Becca
Shot Count
There is roughly 190 shots in this video, making it fairly fast paced in the way that it's edited, fitting in with the pace of the music. As an older rock/metal song, it features a lot of live performance from one of Iron Maiden's gig. This is typical of the genre, making it a fairly typical video. It often changes shot on a beat of music, and emphasising certain band members at certain points, for instance a drum solo shows the solo, and guitar solo's feature the guitarists, as though it is giving them credit for their parts in the song. There are many shots of the crowd, showing them enjoying themselves, making them feel part of the performance, and showing a lot of interaction between the band and crowd is also a typical thing of the genre. It also features clips from a black and white film, in which a woman is being sacrificed, which is also fairly fast paced and dramatic, fitting in with the title of the song and relating to sacrifice.
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