Outfit Idea Photographs

After initial drawings and research into outfits we selected possible clothing that fit the aesthetic and created several different outfits to help differentiate between each timeline. Alongside these outfits an option of black or brown ankle high boots would be warn depending on each outfit. Moreover a large Parker coat may be used to layer and add to each outfit.

With this first outfit a free-flowing olive dress is used drawing attention to the upper body and would perhaps work well for windy long shots as it would flow with the breeze. Moreover it would likely work well with the river scene we have planned through which the actress traverses around a river and the outfit itself might give the scene a tenor of childlike freedom. 

This darker, more bleak outfit would work well for the ending scene in which

This look will be good for the ending scene where she falls onto a bed - causing a disruption amongst leaves and Polaroids. It is simple and bleak and would work well with the dimmed saturation the scene will bring.

  

Music Video - Outfit Ideas

Concept Designs and Outfit Planning/Ideas

These concept art designs are looking at the overall look of an outfit for the main protagonist of the music video narrative.

The three designs are based for different time lines of the narrative throughout the video. The change in clothing should therefor help separate the different time lines within the narrative rather than just the change of setting. The style of clothing links to the cold weather present during the autumn season that will be displayed throughout the video featuring autumn leaves and bare trees, moreover the layering of clothing is key to not only keeping the protagonist warm, but also links to the indie aesthetic.

Clothing that links to this Indie aesthetic generally consists of layering (often vintage) clothing; so large jackets and plaids. Another convention of clothing styles within the indie aesthetic is rolled up jeans over boots or tucked it to make the clothing look to big and what you would expect to see if somebody shopped at vintage stores. These clothes often don't fit correctly, so larger sizes are generally opted for.

The gloves, scarf and hat seen within the concept designs are portrayed to link to the idea of the weather being cold and needing to wrap up warm. Additionally the scarf could also be used as a way of helping obscure the actress' face, a feature key within the video.

Secondary Images

The clothing portrayed within these photos include layered long sweaters and coats alongside scarfs, all of which link to a colour scheme reflecting earthy tones that focus on the surrounding season of autumn. This style of clothing is intended to invoke comfort and warmth, themes that are often connected to the season and the atmosphere of the Indie aesthetic.

Band Identity Ideas

Synopsis

Overall the general atmosphere and look of the music video is going to consist of an autumn aesthetic encouraging use of orange and brown colours; that can be fully exploited in the coming months. Alongside these colours, if foregrouded text is used within the video, it will appear in a contrasting colour to what is currently in the background of the shot. So if there's a mainly orange/brown background, a white text colour would be used as to contrast with the background therefore making it more visable, but also keep the more optimistic and pure connotations that we are aiming to represent.

Through research we have concluded that a narrative typical of  Indie music videos is mostly landscape based with the members of the band present at this location. Common themes these videos include are adventure and exploration, like an impulse road trip for example. Sometimes a romantic element is introduced but not to the level where it is the main aspect of the video but instead compliments the more underlining 'free' aspect of the narrative. This is a tone we'd love to use in our music video as it creates a soft tenor and whimsical aspect to the narrative.

Another common aspect of these videos are significant use of long shots displaying the surroundings and is incredibly atmospheric, largely based on how the nature surrounding the artists is displayed; this is again something we wish to include alongside the narrative. This is a feature with where we can experiment and initiate varying shot angles and focus on the surroundings as well as how we integrate our actress into the landscape and have her perform to create a story. Another typical shot/effect used largely is the use of  lens flare. This is a feature we intend to encorporate within our video, especially in any scenes/shots that cut in from the sun. Filming a blurred shot such as this perhaps through a canopy of autumn leaves is something that we aim to introduce in our music video.

The unconventional approach that we aim to go about within our video is to cover or meticulously hide the actresses face, therefore leading to an unknown identity. This goes against the conventional portrayal of an artist to sell their look. This idea would be consrtructed through either back facing, having objects or props in the way and use of lense flare blocking the protagonists face. Alongside these features I hope to incorporate small and simple animations, this will most likely just be a white scribble across the actresses face to hide her or some scrawls here and there throughout the video, possibly portraying thoughts or emotions; nothing too complex or shapely.

Creativity

Creativity
The ability to bring something new into existence. A combination of existing ideas that collectively form a new concept.

- Describe how your creativity developed through the production of your coursework. Refer to a range of examples in your answer to show how these skills developed over time.

- Strawberry Fields - The Beatles

- Subterranean Homesick Blues

- Bohemian Rhapsody

- The Scientist 
           (IDEA - FILM SINGING THREE-TIMES NORMAL SPEED - SLOW FOOTAGE DOWN - NORMAL SIGING VOICE BUT EVERYTHING AROUND IS SLOW)

- Fell in love with a girl - The White Stripes

- Drone Camera
- Camera tracking
- Lighting
- Post Production
- Sound Dubbing
- Sync

Flesh and Bone - Keaton Henson - Hiding Protagonist and animation

- understand and appreciate past of the genre / take inspiration
- understating codes and conventions of genre because analysing them through (locations/clothing...etc)

Song

Song - Willow Tree March by The Paper Kites

 - Indie genre

The lyrics speak of the concept of betrayal. Generally Indie music videos don't express the concepts that the song itself speaks of and aren't prominent, so although the song lyrics on their own are exceptionally dark in nature they can fit to a lighter, more pleasent atmosphere within the music video.

Here's the song itself.

Lyrics

Lyric Analysis
The basic concept portrayed through connotations within the lyrics of the song is that of betrayal and loss.

It is generally considered that within Indie music videos concepts and connotations aren't as prominent compared to the lyrics themselves, so although in theme the lyrics are a little darker in tenor, they can fit to a lighter atmosphere that is generally presented in the music video. The theme we intend to present is that of being free, running around and exploring. We intend to film during autumn so the season fits well with the exploitative nature and allows for interesting imaginary such as exploring through the woods as the rusting leaves of the autumn season slowly fall off fragile branches. Additionally the earthly tones we intend to incorporate within outfits and the environments we intend to film within link to a sense of freedom and adventure as well as a comforting tenor that we hope to capture within out imagery. In order to link to betrayal and loss, the autumn season incorporating dying leaves and trees stripped bare of leaves suggest how the protagonist may feel. Bare, empty and a dying feeling inside. Leaves shredding (falling) like tears.

Song Timings

-------------  | -------------
   TIMES         PART
-------------  | -------------
     0-10         -whistling-
    10-16        -oooohing-
    16-36             Intro
    36-40      Verse1 - Part1
    40-43
    43-48      Verse1 - Part2
    48-51
    51-57       Verse1 - Part3
  57-1.00
1.00-1.05    Verse1 - Part4
1.05-1.08
1.08-1.23        Chorus 1
1.23-1.42    Instrumental 1
1.42-1.47    Verse2 - Part1
1.47-1.50
1.50-1.55    Verse2 - Part2
1.55-1.57
1.57-2.02    Verse2 - Part3
2.02-2.06
2.06-2.11    Verse2 - Part4
2.11-2.14
2.14-2.28         Chorus 2
2.28-3.04    Instrumental 2
3.04-3.27          Bridge
3.27-3.43        Build Up
3.43-4.02        Chorus 3
4.02-4.26
4.26-4.33

00:36
You fall through the trees
And you pray with your knees on the ground
00:40
00:43
For the things that you need
With your lust and your greed weighing down
00:48
00:51
And you weaken your love
And you hold it above your head
00:57
01:00
Success is a song of the heart, not a song of your bed
01:05
01:08
And we all still die
Yeah we all still die
What will you leave behind
Oh we all still die
01:23
Instrumental
01:42
You fall through the trees
And you pray with your knees on the ground
01:47
01:50
For the things that you need
With your lust and your greed weighing down
01:55
01:57
And you weaken your love
An you hold it above your head
02:02
02:06
Success is a song of the heart, bot a song of your bed
02:11
02:14
And we all still die
Yeah we all stil die
What will you leave behind
Oh we all still die
02:28
Instrumental
03:04
Marching away from the stream
This tree it will die without leaves
Marching away from the stream
This tree it will die without leaves
This tree it will die
This tree it will die
03:27
And we all still die
Yeah we all still die
What will you leave behind
Oh we all still die
03:43
And we all still die
Yeah we all still die
What will you leave behind
Oh we all still die
04:02
04:33

Media Language

Each media type (medium) has its own language through which it communicates its meaning.

Languages - Use of familiar codes and conventions that are generally understood.

Semiotics - the science of signs


Magazine - Use of grammar/syntax + metaphor system
         - appreciation of the intonation of the text when read aloud.
         (media language to reinforce important info)
                         [Persuasive - Manipulate audience opinion in order to buy products]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ferdinand de Saussure (1910's)
          -analyzing signs-

Defined a sign as being composed of a:
[signifyer - denotation (what it really is REALITY) ]
[signified - connotation (what it means CONCEPT) ]

TREE --> Subjective - we all picture something different, a different tree, in a different setting
                [subject to interpretation] [different in everyone's mind]

Roland Barthes (1967)
Noted Saussure's model of the sign focused on denotation at the  expense of connotation and it was left to subsequent theorists (Bathes) to offer an account of this important dimension of meaning.

1950's - colour film - popularity increase
[after war]
     - TV's - Record Players - Radio - Magazines (new tech - visual imagery)

Took research on written meaning's and applied to visual media
Barthes (1977) - photography connotation can b e (analytically) distinguished from denotation.

Charles Sanders Pierce (1931)
                    'we think only in signs'
              
- Signs take the form of words -
                                
                                                                              SIGNS

Words|Images|Sounds|Odours|Flavour|Acts|Objects

(invest things with meaning - red = love / danger)   [Connotations]

Three types of sign |

                 - Icon [iconic]
                              It resembles of imitates ( The Deep = Hull / Empire State Building = New York )
               
                 - Index [indexical]
                              Denotation (signifier) is not arbituary but is directly connected ( Clock = Time )
            
                 - Symbol [symbolic]
                              Denotation (signifier) does not resemble the connotation (signified) but is                                                              fundamentally arbitrary.
                               ( Spelling | Numbers | Morse Code | Traffic Lights | National Flags)

John Fiske (1982)
"denotation is what is photographed" "connotation is how it is photographed"

Audience

Representation

Intertextuality - J Kristeva

Sven E Carlssen - Media Theorist (1999)
   -Music video representation theory
            -Music Artist Represent Themselves as a:

•                      Commercial Exhibitionist    (1)
•                      Televised Bard                     (2)
•                      Electronic Shaman               (3)

(1) Commercial Exhibitionist
Presenting themselves as  a brand. Selling their appearance as well as their musicla talent. Their face, clothing style and lifstyle.
       (2002) - Jenny From The Block - Jennifer Lopez
       (2013) - Drunk in  Love - Beyonce                                   (from here to eternity - intertextual)


                   

Narrative

Narrative (story+plot)

The narrative is central to all ideas. Not necessarily a story but more of a structure.

Inferred events - Events we take for granted.

Explicitly shown events - Things seen in video (Non-dietetic material)
           
Story - What Happens
Plot - How we are Shown what Happens

Narrative - The Structure of a Story

Diegesis - The fictional space and time implied by the narrative - the world in which the story takes place.

Verisimilitude - Literally - the quality of appearing to be real or true. For a story to engage us is to appear to be real to us as we watch it (the diegetic effect). The story must therefore have verisimilitude - following the rules of continuity, temporal and spacial coherence.

Bordwell and Thomson (1997)
Offer two distinctions between story and plot which relate to the dietetic world of  the narrative that the audience are positioned to accept and that which the audience actually see. They based this on Russian film theory.

Story - (Fabula)
    - Is all the events in the narrative that we see and infer. The fabula is defined as the chronological         series of events that are represented or implied.
Plot - (Syuzhet)
   - Everything visible and audibly present before us. Syuzhet is considered to be the order, manner            and techniques of their presentation in the narrative. (These are presented in media-res (in the            middle of time))

Tim O'Sullivan (1998)
Argues that all media texts tell us some kind of story.

• Through careful meditation, media texts offer a way of us telling stories about ourselves - not usually our own personal stories, but the story of us as a culture or set of cultures

• Narrative theory sets out to show that what we experience when we 'read' a story is to understand a particular set of constructions, or conventions, and that its important to be ware of how these constructions are put together.

O'Sullivan suggests narratives have a common structure, starting with the establishment of plot or theme.

This is then followed by the development of the problem, an enigma (Roland Barthes 1997), an increase in tension. Then finally comes the resolution of the plot. Such narratives can be unambiguous and linear.

The Thing You Do - Directed by Tom Hanks (1998)

• Film based on the band The Wonders (as in one hit wonders)

• Uses film syntax in order to create temporal and spacial coherence. 

           (Establishing Shot - Long Shot- > Medium Shot > Close Up)

-------------------------------
Tzvetan Todorov (1997)

Stage 1 : A point of stable equilibrium - Where Everything is satisfied, calm and normal.
Stage 2 : This stability is disrupted by some kind of force, which creates a state of disequilibrium
Stage 3 : Recognition that a disruption has taken place.
Stage 4 : It is only possible to re-create equilibrium through action directed against the disruption.
Stage 5 : Restoration of a new state of equilibrium. The consequences of the reaction is to change the world of the narrative and/or the characters so that the final state of equilibrium in not the same as the initial state.

Equilibrium > Disruption > Quest > Resolution (Re-Equilibrium)

Equilibrium - Balance (A state of balance)
Disruption - Balance is disrupted
Quest - Fixes Balance
Resolution - Re-Equilibrium

Cause & Effect
- change (different equilibrium - sometimes the fixing of the disruption may change events so the original equilibrium is not returned to)

----------------------

Two levels of diagesis (two realities)

Beautiful South - Song for Whoever (whoever - as in anyone can sing it)
      Two levels of Diegesis - Two Realities (band performing / blancmange becoming a star)

• First Diagesis - Band Playing
• Second Diagesis - Milky Jelly becoming famous

Time/Spacial All over - Song being played while lyrics are being written

Lyrics
- Bottom of Pencil Case (not much) - Young girls
- Rightful Place (number one)
- PRS Check (Performing Rights Society) - Cheque (Money) About writing songs for money

Second Diagesis
- Gold Record (well sold)
- Costumes Changed
- Sign (come here)
- I think we've got a hit now we need a star (non-diegetic material to help audience understand (story element) narrative

-----------------------O'Sullivan (photo's) -Use for structure of our music video - lyric themes -

Kate Domaille (2001)

Every story ever told can be fitted into one of eight narratives types. Each of these narrative types has a source, an original story upon which the others are based. These Stories are as follows:

• Achilles : The fatal flaw that leads to the destruction of the previously flawless, or almost  flawless, person.(Achilles Heel held by the heel in the river of stick in order to become invulnerable, this however didn't work and he was killed in the Battle of Troy) e.g. Superman, Fatal Attraction
• Candide : The indomitable hero who cannot be put down e.g. Indiana Jones, James Bond, Rocky etc
• Cinderella : The dreams come true e.g. Pretty Woman
• Circe : (witch) Turned men into pigs (Adicious's Men) The Chase, the spider and the fly, the innocent and the victim e.g. Smokey and the Bandit, Duel, The Terminator
• Faust : Selling your soul to the devil may bring riches but eventually your soul belongs to him e.g. Bedazzled, Wall Street
• Orpheus : (Ghost) The loss of something personal, the gift that is taken away , the tragedy of loss of the journey which follows the loss e.g. The Sixth Sense, Love Story, Born on The Fourth Of July
• Romeo And Juliet : The love story e.g. Titanic
• Tristan and Iseult : The love triangle, man loves woman...unfortunately one or both of them are already spoken for, or a third party intervenes e.g. Casablanca

Claude Levi-Strauss (1958)

Ideas about narrative amount to the fact that he believed all stories operated to certain clear binary opposites e.g. Good vs Evil | Black ve White | Rich vs Poor

The importance of these ideas is that essentially a complicated world is reduced to a simple either/or structure. Things are either right or wrong, good or bad. There is no in-between.

Michael Shore (1984)
Argues that music videos are :
Recycled Styles - Surface Without Substance - Stimulated Experience - Information Overload - Image and Style Scavengers - Ambivalence - Decadence - Immediate Gratification - Vanity and The Moment - Image Assaults and Outre Folks - The Death of Content - Anesthetization of Violence Through Chic - Adolescent Male Fantasies - Speed - Power - Girls and Wealth, Album Are to Turgid Life, Classical Storytelling's Motifs.

Andrew Goodwin (1992)
Argues that in music video "Narrative relations are highly complex" and meaning can be created from the individual audio-viewer's personal musical taste to sophisticated intertextuality that uses multi-discursive phenomena of western culture. Many are dominated by advertising references, film pastiche and reinforce the postmodern 're-use' tradition.

Green Day - Basket Case

In the Green Day Basket Case music video direct reference is made to the classic "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" that creates an intertextuality that people would be familiar with; and by using scenes from the movie, such as throwing the fridge through the window. features such as this helps to keep referencing the movie.

Through narrative as well as band performance the band associate themselves with the antidisestablishment ideology in order to target their target audience, that being rebellious teens. As well as this they also feature the regular codes and conventions of music videos despite constant reference to the movie classic. This is enabled through narrative as well as band performance.

Genre

Genre - a style or category of media
Genre is a critical tool that helps us study texts and audience responses to texts by dividing them into categories based on common elements.

Daniel Chandler (2001)
Argues that the word genre comes for the French (and originally Latin) word for 'kind' or 'class'. The term is widely used within rhetoric, literary theory and media theory to refer to a distinctive type of text.

Examples within music:

• Art Punk
• Alternative Rock
• College Rock
• Crossover Thrash
• Crust Punk
• Experimental Rock
• Folk Punk
• Goth / Gothic Rock
• Grunge
• Hardcore Punk
• Hard Rock
• Indie Rock
• Lo-fi
• New Wave
• Progressive Rock
• Punk
• Shoegaze
• Steampunk

Anime
Blues

• Acoustic Blues
• Chicago Blues
• Classic Blues
• Contemporary Blues
• Country Blues
• Delta Blues
• Electric Blues
• Ragtime Blues (cheers GFS)

Childrens' Music

• Lullabies
• Sing-Along
• Stories

Classical

• Avant-Garde
• Baroque
• Chamber Music
• Chant
• Choral
• Classical Crossover
• Contemort Classical
• Early Music
• Expressionist
• High Classical
• Impressionist
• Medieval
• Minimalism
• Modern Composition
• Opera
• Orchestral
• Renaissance
• Romantic
• Wedding Music

Comedy

• Novelty
• Standup Comedy
• Vaudeville

Commercial

• Jingles
• TV Themes

Country

• Alternative Country
• Americana
• Bluegrass
• Contemporary Bluegrass
• Contemporary Country
• Country Gospel
• Country Pop
• Honky Tonk
• Outlaw Country
• Traditional Bluegrass
• Traditional Country
• Urban Cowboy

Dance

• Club / Club Dance
• Breakcore
• Breakbeat / Breakstep
• Brostep
• Chillstep
• Deep House
• Dubstep
• Electro House
• Electroswing
• Exercise
• Future Garage
• Garage
• Glitch Hop
• Glitch Pop
• Grime
• Hardcore
• Hard Dance
• Hi-NRG / Eurodance
• Horrorcore
• House
• Jackin House
• Jungle / Drum’n’bass
• Liquid Dub
• Regstep
• Speedcore
• Techno
• Trance
• Trap

Easy Listening

• Bop
• Lounge
• Swing

Electronic

• 2-Step
• 8bit – aka 8-bit, Bitpop and Chiptune 
• Ambient
• Bassline
• Chillwave
• Chiptune
• Crunk )
• Downtempo
• Drum & Bass
• Electro
• Electro-swing
• Electronica
• Electronic Rock
• Hardstyle
• IDM/Experimental
• Industrial
• Trip Hop

Enka
French Pop
German Folk
Fitness & Workout
Hip-Hop/Rap

• Alternative Rap
• Bounce
• Dirty South
• East Coast Rap
• Gangsta Rap
• Hardcore Rap
• Hip-Hop
• Latin Rap
• Old School Rap
• Rap
• Turntablism
• Underground Rap
• West Coast Rap

Holiday

• Chanukah
• Christmas
• Christmas: Children’s
• Christmas: Classic
• Christmas: Classical
• Christmas: Comedy
• Christmas: Jazz
• Christmas: Modern
• Christmas: Pop
• Christmas: R&B
• Christmas: Religious
• Christmas: Rock
• Easter
• Halloween
• Holiday: Other
• Thanksgiving

Indie Pop
Industrial
Inpirational - Christian & Gospel

• CCM
• Christian Metal
• Christian Pop
• Christian Rap
• Christian Rock
• Classic Christian
• Contemporary Gospel
• Gospel
• Christian & Gospel
• Praise & Worship
• Qawwali
• Southern Gospel
• Traditional Gospel

Instumental

• March (Marching Band)

J-Pop

• J-Rock
• J-Synth
• J-Ska
• J-Punk

Jazz

• Acid Jazz
• Avant-Garde Jazz
• Bebop
• Big Band
• Blue Note
• Contemporary Jazz
• Cool
• Crossover Jazz
• Dixieland
• Ethio-Jazz
• Fusion
• Gypsy Jazz
• Hard Bop
• Latin Jazz
• Mainstream Jazz
• Ragtime
• Smooth Jazz
• Trad Jazz

K-Pop
Karaoke
Kayokyoku
Latin

• Alternativo & Rock Latino
• Argentine Tango
• Baladas y Boleros
• Bossa Nova
• Brazilian
• Contemporary Latin
• Cumbia
• Flamenco / Spanish Flamenco
• Latin Jazz
• Nuevo Flamenco
• Pop Latino
• Portuguese Fado
• Raíces
• Reggaeton y Hip-Hop
• Regional Mexicano
• Salsa y Tropical

New Age

• Environmental
• Healing
• Meditation
• Nature
• Relaxation
• Travel

Opera
Pop

• Adult Contemporary
• Britpop
• Bubblegum Pop
• Chamber Pop
• Dance Pop
• Dream Pop
• Electro Pop
• Orchestral Pop
• Pop/Rock
• Pop Punk
• Power Pop
• Soft Rock
• Synthpop
• Teen Pop

R&B/Soul

• Contemporary R&B
• Disco
• Doo Wop
• Funk
• Modern Soul
• Motown
• Neo-Soul
• Northern Soul
• Psychedelic Soul
• Quiet Storm
• Soul
• Soul Blues
• Southern Soul

Reggae

• 2-Tone
• Dancehall
• Dub
• Roots Reggae
• Ska

Rock

• Acid Rock
• Adult-Oriented Rock
• Afro Punk
• Adult Alternative
• Alternative Rock
• American Trad Rock
• Anatolian Rock
• Arena Rock
• Art Rock
• Blues-Rock
• British Invasion
• Cock Rock
• Death Metal / Black Metal
• Doom Metal
• Glam Rock
• Gothic Metal
• Grind Core
• Hair Metal
• Hard Rock
• Math Metal
• Math Rock
• Metal
• Metal Core
• Noise Rock
• Jam Bands
• Post Punk
• Prog-Rock/Art Rock
• Progressive Metal
• Psychedelic
• Rock & Roll
• Rockabilly
• Roots Rock
• Singer/Songwriter
• Southern Rock
• Spazzcore
• Stoner Metal
• Surf
• Technical Death Metal
• Tex-Mex
• Time Lord Rock (Trock)
• Trash Metal

Singer/Songwriter

• Alternative Folk
• Contemporary Folk
• Contemporary Singer/Songwriter
• Indie Folk
• Folk-Rock
• Love Song
• New Acoustic
• Traditional Folk

Soundtrack

• Foreign Cinema
• Movie Soundtrack (thanks Julien)
• Musicals
• Original Score
• Soundtrack
• TV Soundtrack

Spoken Word

 Tex-Mex / Tejano

• Chicano
• Classic
• Conjunto
• Conjunto Progressive
• New Mex
• Tex-Mex

Vocal

• Acappella
• Barbershop
• Doo-wop
• Gregorian Chant
• Standards
• Traditional Pop
• Vocal Jazz
• Vocal Pop

World

• Africa
• Afro-Beat
• Afro-Pop
• Asia
• Australia
• Cajun
• Calypso
• Caribbean
• Carnatic
• Celtic
• Celtic Folk
• Contemporary Celtic
• Coupé-décalé
• Dangdut
• Drinking Songs
• Drone
• Europe
• France
• Hawaii
• Hindustani
• Indian Ghazal
• Indian Pop
• Japan
• Japanese Pop
• Klezmer
• Mbalax
• Middle East
• North America
• Ode
• Piphat
• Polka
• Soca
• South Africa
• South America
• Traditional Celtic
• Worldbeat
• Zydeco

How can we tell what genre something is?
We can tell what genre a form of media is through stereotypes and common signs, codes, conventions and stylistic elements withing the given media. This is because these platforms of music generally adhere to what is known as the Genre Paradigm. The Genre Paradigm is a structure or model that media products use to link to certain genres by following given conventions of costume, location, props, ideology, narrative etc.

For example, within a western film you'd expect to see the male actors wearing Stenson hats, leather cowboy boots with spores travelling through temporal and geographical locations such as deserts, ravines, a small town with a saloon and ranch. Props such as revolvers, a lasso and horse saddle would be expected while for transport wagons and horses would be used. Typical narratives within this genre include bar fights, a horse chase, a revenge and a shootout perhaps at dusk/dawn as the tumble weed is blown past the bandits fighting the town sheriff. And of course you'd expect all this to happen in the late 19th century.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

All genres have sub-genres (genre within a genre)
Barry Keith Grant (1995)
- This means that they are divided up into more specific categories that allow audiences to identify them specifically by their familiar and what become recognisable characteristics.

Steve Neale (1995)
 - Stresses that "genres are not 'systems' they are processes of systematization"
i.e. they are dynamic and evolve over time. 

Jason Mittel (2001)
Argues that genres are cultural categories that surpass the boundaries of media texts and operate within industry, audience and cultural practices as well.

In short, industries use genre to sell products to audiences. Media producers use familiar codes and conventions that very often make cultural references to their audience knowledge of society, other texts.

Genre also allows audiences to make choices about what products they want to consume through acceptance in order to forfill a particular pleasure.

A media product must follow codes and conventions of the text

Institution - Given institutions and company's are all aware of the codes, conventions and rules required of a particular genre. These institutions use these conventions to construct texts.

Audience - We are all aware of the conventions and codes of genres as we as an audience choose to watch and listen to certain media that adheres to what we find entertaining. We read the texts constructed by the institution.

Genre operates outside the text as everyone is aware of genre codes and conventions with the need of looking at a text.

Text refers to our culture and our society. the codes and conventions are taken from culture and society, texts take these ideas and adapts them into a narrative.

Binary Opposition - Good/Bad (Cowboy and Indian)

Hybrid Genre - Genre that mixes with others

Generic Characteristics:

• Mis-en-scene/visual style (iconography/props/set designs/lighting/temporal and geographical locations/costume/shot type/camera angels/special effects)
• Narrative (Plot/Historical Setting/Set Pieces)
• Generic Types - Typical Characters (Female/Male Stereotypes?)

Styles - Comedy and animation are not genres but styles/treatments

Genre reinforces the pleasures.

• Pleasure of genre for audiences:

Theorist Rick Altman (1999) 
Argues that genre offers audiences 'a set of pleasures'.

Emotional Pleasures - The emotional pleasures offered to audiences of genre films are particularly significant when they generate a strong audience response.
Visceral Pleasures - Visceral pleasures ('visceral' refers to internal organs) are 'gut' responses and are defined by how the film's stylistic construction elicits a physical effects upon its audience. This can be feeling of revulsion, kinetic speed, or a 'roller coaster ride'.
Intellectual Pleasures - Certain film genres such as a thriller or the 'whodunit' offer the pleasure in trying to unravel a mystery or a puzzle. Pleasure is derived from deciphering the plot and forecasting the end or being surprised by the unexpected.

Everyone uses references to genre

Wide social, cultural context - genre easy to apply - (genre of our product is ..........)

Genre Profile

• (conventional/stereotypes/props/location/conventions/costume) __Paradigm of the genre of our music video__

Genre Development and Transformation
Over the years genres develop and change as the wider society that produce them also changes, a process that is known as generic transformation.

Christian Metz in his book Language and Cinema (1974) argued that genres go through a typical cycle of changes during their lifetime:

Experimental Stage - Codes and Conventions of genre are not yet set

Classic Stage - Codes and Conventions are fixed and widely known (audience know and recognise these codes and conventions and link them to the given genre)

Parody Stage - Codes and Conventions well known/overused so are now used extensively to take the micky out of something (used in a comedic fashion)

Deconstruction Stage - Codes and Conventions are now evolving to which hybrids of two or more genres or sub-genres/categories are evident. (sci-fi/thriller)


The Strengths Of Genre Theory

• The main strength of genre theory is that everybody uses it and understands it - media experts us it to study media texts, the media industry uses it to develop and market texts and audiences use it to decide what texts to consume.
• The potential for the same concepts to be understood by producers, audiences and scholars makes genre a useful critical tool. Its accessibility as a concept also meant that it can be applied across a wide range of texts.

History Of Music Videos

-How they have changed
-1920 - soundies

Representation Theory

Intertextuality - Text alludes to or references to another text

Julia Kristeva (1969) Literary critic and sociologist "The shaping of texts (music videos) meaning by another text (music video).

"The use of an intertextual reference in any text is the absorption and transformation of another"

Some referencing is iconic and the audience can easily remember and recognize the style.

Referencing can reinforce nostalgia and familiarity.
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Lady GaGa - Telephone ft. Beyonce (2010)
Opening text - Jackie Brown
Beyonce - Bettie Page 1980's Glamour Model & Pin Up (Hair Style)
Pink Flamingos (1972) Divine (Trans) - Gaga's eye makeup
Pierre & Gilles - French Fashion (Lady GaGa - Police Tape Costume)
Roy Lichtenstein - Pop Art (1960's) Vivid Colour (Make Up) Bright Hair
Russ Meyer - US Director - Sexploitation Films - Camp Humour (1960's) Police Officer scantily clad
Thelma Louise - Film - 1991
Cans in  GaGA's hair - Warhol soup project
Chorography link to Beyonce's 'All The Single Ladies' dance moves
Floating Skull - poison bottle - video game
Car Driven reference to Kill Bill
Zip pans used to rference old hero shows like Batman

Video Game Refernces - RHCP - Calcification
Pegasus - TriStar Films Refernce

Batman 1960's
   -Bright colours
   -Upbeat theme music
   -Youth aimed moral lessons

   - Zip Pans (Fast-Comedic) Pan (swipe) to change scene
   - Iconic US Comic Superheros
               - Skull Crossbones - Poison/Death

Initial Ideas

Indie Genre - Autumn Aesthetic_Through Forest/Woodlands Area
Overlapping Animated Features_Single Female Protagonist_Unknown Identity_Face Never Shown_Covered By Aniamtion Features/Filters/LENS FLARE

Brief

A promotion package for the release of an album to include a music promo video together with a cover for its release as part of a digipak and a magazine advertisement for the digipak.

Transition Task

Work in a group of 3 or 4 people to  plan and produce a reconstruction of a minute of an existing music video.

Gather and evidence research into the conventions of your chosen brief over the summer, starting witch codes and conventions of your media form with examples, also research the genre conventions of the text you intend to produce

Transition Task Link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQErYe91AJA