Creativity

How creative have you been in your AS and A2 productions?

At AS the task was to design a music magazine cover, contents page and double page spread. I created a music magazine that was targeted at people aged 16-25. The magazine had an indie/electro genre that is known to be popular with young people. I chose to have a three piece girl band on the cover that were styled and photographed by myself.

 Some constraints were applied to this task. For example, we had no budget for photographing the band/artist and time constraints applied when we had deadlines to meet. These constraints hindered me slightly when carrying out the magazine construction and editing, however without these rules (such as deadlines) my work would have been disorganised.

I was told the task had to be a music magazine but I was able to be creative and independent when choosing the genre. I stuck to the genre of electro/indie music magazine all the way through the task in order to sustain a cohesive end product. As this task was the first task set (apart from a preliminary task), my skills using photoshop when editing really improved and I was able to show my creativity with the placement of the text on the magazine, the article subject, colours used and who was actually on the cover.

In my opinion, I worked more creatively at A2 when making a music video, digipak and advert. This might be due to that fact my skills and knowledge of the subject have become more advance therefore I could allow myself to think more creatively.

Similarly to the AS I had some constraints, one being that I had no budget and strict timings for filming depending on who was available and when. This was difficult but did not necessarily hinder my opportunities for creativeness or to do well on the task. Because I still managed to chose the genre of the song, style of the band, placing of and layout of text and pictures on digipak/advert and colour scheme. Another constraint was that we specifically had to make a music video and the band or artist had to lipsync. Again, this was not a problem because I worked collaboratively with a partner and we chose to have a dance genre song with a lot of singing.

Some aspects of being creative involved challenging our ideas or being challenged. Sometimes when working collaboratively there are clashes of ideas, especially when it came to editing the music video. However, once these ideas were shared and adressed we could come up with creative solutions.  Using our imagination and coming up with something interesting and original was important for our music video. We challenged ourselves by having a simplistic/minimal theme for a dance genre song which actually worked well. 

Applying Narrative

I will apply narrative to the piece of work I enjoyed doing most, which was creating a music video for my advance portfolio. This included the song ‘Heads will roll’ by the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s. We began by looking at dance video’s that matched the genre of our band/song and tried to apply a narrative to the videos. However most videos of this genre don’t really have a strong narrative due to their , therefore it was hard to represent this genre and still consider a narrative in our video.

Our music video falls into Andrew Goodwin’s theory of ‘amplification’ – where we simply enhanced or exaggerated certain lines such as ‘Oh no’ which was repeated. It has a linear structure, meaning it is chronological (no flashbacks) and doesn’t confuse the audience between time and space. During the research stages of the advance portfolio we looked at Rita Ora’s ‘party and party’ video, this was helpful to us as it included the house party setting and didn’t represent a strong narrative. Therefore we knew it would be possible to create something similar.

The main theme in our video was ‘fun’ as well as trying to create a house party feel. We felt the idea of having a ‘fun’ video was important in relation to our young target audience of 16-25 year olds and could result in the video acting as a form of escapism. We created the theme of fun through various elements of media language. The video featured a very energetic teenage girl who is seen dancing and lipsyncing through the use of mid-shots and close-ups on her face. We also used jump-cuts to match the generic convention of a dance video’s speed. The speed of the video and wild dancing of the girl fits a ‘loose’ narrative, which makes it easy for viewers to watch repeatedly due to the video not having a strong narrative that could get monotonous if the viewer was to watch it more than once. John Stewarts theory of music video’s displaying an ‘aspirational lifestyle’ could be applicable to our video as the video emanates fun and a carefree lifestyle, which is something teenager’s aspire to have, or already have.

The mise-en scene in the video had a studio feel to it, as we used a white background for most of the filming and a projector screen that projected colourful backgrounds of green and pink. The colourful (pink and green) backgrounds gave the video continuity and matched the house party theme. We used props in our video such as the DJ’s mixer. This added authenticity to the video as it made the sound seem synchronous. We also used this prop to amplify some lyrics such as ‘off, off, off…’. We did this by repeating a shot of the dj’s hand on one of the controls, this looked really effective as the dj’s hand jumped in time with the music and added a sense of realism.

Although the video feature’s a teenage boy and a teenage girl, there is no sexual element in our video. However voyeuristic qualities could be applied to the girl as she is very active in the video and around the male character. I would agree with Laura maulvey’s theory of ‘the art of looking’ as the female knows she Is being watched. This is displayed through the use of close-up’s as she sings and gives direct eye-contact to the camera. (This is something the male in the video does not do).

Levis Straus’ theory of ‘binary opposites’ could be applied to our video as we had an active member (the female protagonist)and a passive member (DJ). Andrew Goodwin has also suggested that ‘music video’s are an extension of lyrics’, which fits with our ‘amplification video’ as we simply focused on key lyrics such as the chorus ‘heads will roll’. Goodwin’s theory also match’s Steve archer’s theory that ‘video’s tend to only suggest a story line and focus more on fragmentations of lyrics’. We displayed this in our video by having a slightly quirky band yet a dance genre with specific key lyrics exaggerated. This suggests a slight storyline even though a strong clear narrative isn’t really present. 

'Media texts rely on audience knowledge of generic codes and conventions in order for them to create meaning'

The piece of media that i will be discussing in relation to genre is the music video that myself and a partner produced during the A2 coursework. When making a media product it is important to consider genre as it categorises the media text and determines the audience. For my A2 coursework i created a music video. The video included a band made up of one girl and one boy. I would say the music video fell into Andrew Goodwins category of 'Performance' as the girl has an active role, singing and dancing. The song used in the video was a dance/pop genre song which gave us some freedom and dance videos can vary so much in terms of generic conventions.

We used the dance song because a dance genre matches the house party theme we wanted to achieve. It was crucial that we used some generic conventions in order to achieve the genre we wanted. Some of these generic conventions included, fast editing, steady cam effect on the girl dancing, and bright colours that we had at the start of the video to entice an audience. To gain a fast pace to the video and in order for the video to be synchronous with the sound, we used a lot of jump-cuts and cross cutting from each member of the band and the DJ mixer prop.

From the research and planning stage we knew that dance videos had a lot of fast editing and often used a DJ in the video for example DJ Calvin Harris appears in his own videos with a singer. Therefore we used similar iconographies. We used a lot of synchronous close-ups on the DJ's hand in our video, to demonstrate certain drops in the music. This matched generic conventions we had seen and matches the genre of dance as the movement is synchronous to the sound. We also used lip-syncing in our video. The li-syncing and active dancing from the girl in the video contributes to the 'first person mode of address' as she repeatedly looks down the camera, making direct eye-contact with the audience.  Her lively dancing and quirky character matches that of music artist's such as Rita Ora or Rihanna.

When it came to certain media language, such as costume, we wanted to challenge existing stereotypes. From previous research it became clear that dance video's feature a lot of bright and contemporary costumes, with female artist wearing slightly revealing outfits to attract a larger audience. We wanted our costumes to look contemporary and almost timeless, therefore we had the girl wear a plain black top and the boy a plain white top. This choice does not match the generic conventions of the genre and challenges Laura Maulvey's theory of 'The male Gaze' because although the female is making eye-contact with the audience, she is not sexually suggestive. We purposefully did not have any revealing clothing or logos on the clothes as we didn't want it to de-tract from the action on screen. I think the costumes fit a more casual style, seen in an alternative/indie genre songs targeted at a young generation of people.

There are certain stereotypes of male's and specifically male DJ's. I believe our DJ again, challenges the conventional stereotype of being active, fist pumping and jumping around as our DJ has a more aloof personality and takes a step back from the girl's leading role. The location of the video did match the dance genre as we has flashing lights and a ‘party’ atmosphere.

Genre is installed into a peice of media in order for an audience to feel secure in there knowledge and expectations of that certain media.The song 'heads will roll' is a dance song, however it didn't make it into the top 100 charts. Therefore we didn't use a mainstream song that normal dance genre songs would fall into. We also challenged existing stereotypes of alternative. Therefore i think our video could fall into the category of postmodern, as there is a slight clashing of genre's and roles within a band.

Representation Essay

'Representations in media texts are often simplistic and reinforce dominant ideologies so that the audience can make sense of them. '

Evaluate the ways that you have used/challenged conventions simplistic representations in one of the media products you have produced

I agree with the statement above and believe my video does represent dominant ideologies through the use of mise-en-scene, stereotyping and camera work. I will apply relevant theories to contribute to the quote through the discussion of my music video.

The music video I created as part of my coursework represented two young people (male and female) as part of a dance/electronic band  with an alternative style. I created the representation through the use of mise-en-scene. The video was filmed in an unidentified location. For example there was a plan white background that had a studio feel and made the video look more professional. The mise-en-scene of the different colours and patterns being reflected onto the projector screen represent vibrancy and gave the video a youthful outlook. The pink and green colours at the start of the video could also represent the two genders of the band and attract audiences of both sexes.

The bands costume matches the dominant ideology of an alternative band as they wore plain clothing with no logo’s for advertising. I wouldn’t say that the girl in the video relates to the male gaze as she is not dressed provocatively. However the girl’s wild dancing and care-free star image match the theory of John Berger who suggests in media, 'Women are aware of being seen by a male spectator'.

 The close-ups on the girls face and mise-en-scene of the flashing patterns, matched with the body language towards the male, contribute to the stereotype of a typical teenage girl. Mark Barker suggests stereotypes are missrepresenting the 'real world' and comments that in order for stereotypes to work they must seek audience  recognistion. In my music video I believe that the audience can relate to the band and I think I have displayed a genuine stereotype. The representation of the girl was created in order to apply to a mainstream audience. However the addition of the males character changed this and the video was relevant to a niche/alternative audience.

Tessa Perkins idea of stereotyping suggests that it is not an easy process. Some of the stereotypes created were not actually thought about until the stage of post-production. For example the male DJ is represented through the use of zooming effects and close-ups on his face as an independent, slightly quirky and quiet band member. This matches the characteristics of a band called ‘The XX’, where their personalities/ body language do not always match the style of music. However his star image or persona goes against stereotypes or expectations of a dance DJ, who would normally be seen fist pumping and connecting to the audience. The unconventional character of the DJ matches Baudrillard’s  idea of hyppereality as he suggests we live in a place where things are constructed from no original place. It also challenges stereotypes that attract a niche audience.

Overall, the camera work used and fast editing such as on the shot with the dj’s hand connote and represent typical dance video conventions. Some of the representations created have been simplistic, which match the minimalistic style to the video. The general representations are simplistic. Although I would argue some stereotypes (DJ) have been challenged in order to appeal to a niche audience or simply offer something new to the world of dance music. 

Audience essay

‘Media texts will never be successful unless they are carefully constructed to targets pre-established audiences.’

Evaluate the ways that you constructed a media text to target a specific audience.

When creating a music video, it is important to have an initial idea of who the audience might be. Some media producers categorize audiences into different groups to determined what media text would apply to each group. It is a method of targeting an audience. A dance genre of song (heads will roll – ATRAK remix) was used for the music video, therefore certain representation were considered, such as the speed of editing.

I knew from the research and planning stages of production that dance/pop songs have fast editing and are normally targeted at young audiences. The initial target audience for my music video was for a mass audience as the song had a popular dance genre. However when we decided on the band (actors) and planned out the storyboard it seemed that the video would take a more alternative appearance and appeal to a niche audience.

The illusion of a house party was created in the video by having people dancing, and flashing lights. This connoted a fun and energetic representation of young people. The band was aged between 17-19 and represented average teenagers. Their casual costumes created a relaxed approach to an upbeat song and purposefully went against what artist would wear in a dance genre song. The general body language of the girl matched the song as she was dancing around and creating the fun atmosphere. The audience could draw on a number of interpretations/meanings from the video. The girl dancing could be identifiable with other teenage girls as this is something young people enjoy doing. The whole theme of a house party is also relevant to the age and culture of the audience. The DJ remained aloof and reserved when it came to dancing and he did not make eye contact with the camera. In some ways this is a true reflection of a DJ as he was not the main singer. However it also contributes to our niche audience acted slightly quirky. One way we identified our audience was by creating a Facebook group and twitter group. This allowed anyone to be a part of the progress of the fictitious band and video. We could gain feedback from the audience we were addressing which became very useful after handing in our draft video. I also posted all my work and progression onto my blog along with a pitch. It concluded that the target audience would be aimed at young people within the age range of 16-25 and match the pluralist theory of being a ‘Active audience’ that are able to create their own understanding/interpretations of the media text. Afterall, media texts are influenced by society meaning individuals within a society can pick and chose a media product that has been aimed at their needs as a media consumer.

The video was filmed in an unidentified setting, with the band stood infront of a projector screen that displayed different colours. In effect, this replicated a studio and made the video look professional. The pink and green colours at the beginning of the video were edited in during post- production. The neon colours attractive the viewer from the very start and were repeated as an element of continuity. The colours represent the different genders of the band e.g pink for the girl and green for the boy. This mean’t that we could target both gender’s of and audience.

Theorist Ang (1991) suggests that  'audience hood is becoming an ever more multifaced, fragmented and diversified repertoire of practices and experiences.' I would agree with Ang in relation to my media product. There are many people that enjoy media products that are targeted at different audiences. For example, someone might like pop video's but also enjoy alternative electro music (sub-categories). When making my music video I did target a pre-established audience. Even though the audience of my music video changed during post-production it was still successful. Therefore I agree with the quote and the idea of targeting an audience prior to making the media product.

representation (PLAN)

'Representations in media texts are often simplistic and rienforce dominant ideologies so that the audience can make sense of them. '

evaluate the ways that you have used/challenged conventions simplistic representations in one of the media products you have produced

Dominant ideology - a common belief that most people have.

who have i represented? what? where (setting mise en scene)?

How have i represented them? (Look back at representation evaluation question) camera angles, mise en scene (pink colours) costume, setting.

(the girl) - John Berger. 'Women are aware of being seen by a male spectator'

Have i used stereotypes? do they link to other artists of the same genre (link to theories). why have i done this? (star image) appeal to your audience (niche)


Why? audience?

Have a created a simplistic representation? yes


intro -
refer to question
agree/disagree
introduce coursework you will be discussing

Main body -
go through different represtations - define them
plus stereotypes
plus theories
who, what, where, how, why?

Conclusion-
How does it link to audience
explanation, analysis,
refer back to question
sum up best points - used someone quirky that challenges representations

Representation - Theories

All representations have certain ideologies encoded behind them in order to give a Prefered representation (Levis Strauss 1958)

Richard Dyer comments on represntations (1983)

what sense of the world is it making?
what doe sit imply?
who is it speaking to?
how do we respond to it?

Laura Mulvey (The male gaze 1975)

Comments that the female body is displayed to men in order to gain erotic pleasure from a media product. Women are objectified by the camera and the audience learn to accept the male's point of view.

John Berger 'woman are aware of being seen by a male spectator'

Baudrillard - Suggests the idea of hyppereality. We live in a place where things are constructed from no original place.

Stereotyping - A means by which support is provided by one group's differential against another.

Tessa Perkins - stereotyping is not a simple process. Some of the many ways that stereotypes are assumed to opperate is not true. (e.g a niche audience might not want to be considered or grouped in that way)

Mark Barker - stereotypes are missrepresenting the 'real world'. Comments that in order for stereotypes to work they must seek audience recognistion.

Pluralist theory

An active audience that create their own understanding of a media text/interpret what they choose to beleive. This is a result of society being diverse.

Own understanding
diverse
chose what to beleive

Media Language essay

1b. Evaluate your media coursework in relation to a media concept

Media Language

In this essay I will assessing my chosen media products and discussing how it relates to the term ‘media language’. I will be looking at my music video for this essay. When looking  at media language i would agree with the Theorist John Fiske (1982), who suggests that  denotation is what i  photographed  (filmed)  and connotation   is how  it is photographed.

The video begins with several close-ups of the DJ mixer. The opening few shots are jumpcuts, meaning the editing is very fast and punchy with some zooming in and out. The sound is parallel as it relates to the visuals and is quick and punchy. The camera work here connotes an energetic style to the song and relates to the dance genre. The two shot framing denotes the band together, this gives the viewer an understanding of the relationship between the male DJ and female singer. Another element of media language is body language. In the two shot frame the girl is dancing around as she is the singer and remains the ‘star’. However the DJ remains aloof and doesn’t make eye contact with the camera. This connotes reality as the DJ in a band isn’t normally as involved or showed in the video as much as the singer. The distance of the DJ is re-enforced with the close-ups on his face that denote no eye contact with the audience, which connotes a disconnected band member.

There is some interesting editing used in the video and editing can lead to various connotations. The denotation of Re-winding when the is girl singing ‘oh no’ as the music is staggered and whilst the DJ’s hand flicks up and down not only displays visible editing but displays the sound as synchronous. The audience believe that the sound is coming from the DJ as the music breaks and his hand action mirrors the break. In some ways the editing has two extremes, a slow-motion effect is applied as the music slows which denotes the girl (singer) dancing in-front of a black and white background. The slow motion effect could relate to the male gaze as we only see the girl dancing, not the male DJ. The slow motion editing also reflects a relaxed part of the song and creates the illusion that the girl weaving in and out of the lined background. The other extreme of editing is the denotation of fast-forwarding. This was used on some shots of the   DJ in order to make him look more active, which then connoted a faster pace to this certain part of the video. Some more unnoticeable editing is the enhancement of colour on some of the black and white background shots or plain white background shots. The brightness and clarity of the white shots have been enhanced using 'alien lab' effect.

The lighting in the video deems very crucial as the denotation of colourful background really aid to the connotation that the video is fun and energetic. The pink and green backgrounds at the start of the video were edited in to achieve a really bright and eye-catching start to the video in the hope that people continuing watching. The pink and green colours also work well and connote the female and male genders of the band. However the green and pink backgrounds shown with the female singing in-front of them were actually part of the lighting. All of the backgrounds were achieved by using a projector screen. This denoted the different colours and made the video look more interesting as the mise en scene was fairly unidentified/ unrecognisable. Therefore the colourful background could actually be joined to the mise en scene. The actually location of the video is internal, therefore artificial lighting was necessary.

The overall appearance of the band denotes a casual style and the Body language of the dancing the girl, connotes a quirky fun style and juxtaposes from the DJ's vague movement. The video shows self-reflexivity as the girl holds her hands up as the song finishes. This video displays a quirky and stylistic approach to contribute to media language.