Monday, 20 September 2010
Planning
I have an Idea for a video, for which I have done some amount of planning and research over the past two weeks. I have drawn out a preliminary storyboard, and written out a brief summary, both of which should appear on this blog in the very near future. In terms of research, I have looked at some other videos relating to genre and tone.
Monday, 13 September 2010
CD cover analysis 1 and 2
The Kills: No Wow
The cover of the Kills’ 2005 album “No Wow” gives us a definite sense of the kind of music it represents. It features the band name emblazoned in very large capital letters above two photo booth or Polaroid images of both members of the band, one holding a piece of paper with the name of the album over their eyes, and the other holding what looks like money in front of his face.
The whole cover comes across as very homemade, the pictures being blurred in places and the band name in a font consisting of hard edges and few curves. The background is also black, telling us something about the image of the band, as the colour black has connotations with evil and superstition. We are given the sense that the cover could have been put together on a whim by cutting out images and letters and sticking them down.
The images used on the cover also tell us something about the image the band is trying to portray, with the exhibition of money having connotations with corruption and greed, and the obscuring of facial features reminds us of criminals trying to hide their identity, which leads us to the similarity of the two images’ composition with photographs the police take of criminals and passport photos. The photos are also black and white leaving the only colour in the band name at the top. That colour is brown, traditionally a murky, earthy, or dirty colour, and this further emphasises the down-to-earth, “lo-fi” image of the band.
The simplicity of the cover also echoes the simplicity of the music and the fact that there are only two people in the band.
Everything about the cover of “No wow” says something about both the image and music of the band, and thus it is very successful in giving people expectations of the band and music.
Siouxsie and the banshees: Juju
The cover of “Juju”, the 1981 album by Siouxsie and the banshees, is very representative of the dark tone of the music featured on it. It features a statue, which looks African, surrounded by torn pieces of paper with musical notes on them. The whole cover seems to have had its colours inverted. The name of the band and album are restricted to relatively small writing in the top right corner, encouraging us to look more at the image than the text.
The statue is a reference to the title of the album, “Juju”. In African culture, “Juju” is supernatural power connected to a physical object, and is often applied to statues and masks. It is a very dark aspect of African religion, and this ties in with the dark themes on the album.
The inverted colours on the album cover also emphasize this, with the musical notes almost appearing burnt, and everything coming out darker than it would have been in its original colours. The colours themselves are mostly black, white, and gold, all colours together suggesting a dark majestic element, gold being traditionally associated with wealth, majesty, and royalty.
The predominance of the musical notes on this cover make it look slightly apocalyptic, especially including the tribal statue, as they give the impression of destruction, being ripped, and given the effect of being burnt by the inverted colours. They may also represent the tearing up of a music rulebook, or it may simply represent a pure act of hate.
Whatever the torn up music shows, it is a very foreboding image, and one that gives us a good sense of the type of music that awaits the listener. It is a very successful album cover, capturing the atmosphere of the music and image of the band at the time.
The cover of the Kills’ 2005 album “No Wow” gives us a definite sense of the kind of music it represents. It features the band name emblazoned in very large capital letters above two photo booth or Polaroid images of both members of the band, one holding a piece of paper with the name of the album over their eyes, and the other holding what looks like money in front of his face.
The whole cover comes across as very homemade, the pictures being blurred in places and the band name in a font consisting of hard edges and few curves. The background is also black, telling us something about the image of the band, as the colour black has connotations with evil and superstition. We are given the sense that the cover could have been put together on a whim by cutting out images and letters and sticking them down.
The images used on the cover also tell us something about the image the band is trying to portray, with the exhibition of money having connotations with corruption and greed, and the obscuring of facial features reminds us of criminals trying to hide their identity, which leads us to the similarity of the two images’ composition with photographs the police take of criminals and passport photos. The photos are also black and white leaving the only colour in the band name at the top. That colour is brown, traditionally a murky, earthy, or dirty colour, and this further emphasises the down-to-earth, “lo-fi” image of the band.
The simplicity of the cover also echoes the simplicity of the music and the fact that there are only two people in the band.
Everything about the cover of “No wow” says something about both the image and music of the band, and thus it is very successful in giving people expectations of the band and music.
Siouxsie and the banshees: Juju
The cover of “Juju”, the 1981 album by Siouxsie and the banshees, is very representative of the dark tone of the music featured on it. It features a statue, which looks African, surrounded by torn pieces of paper with musical notes on them. The whole cover seems to have had its colours inverted. The name of the band and album are restricted to relatively small writing in the top right corner, encouraging us to look more at the image than the text.
The statue is a reference to the title of the album, “Juju”. In African culture, “Juju” is supernatural power connected to a physical object, and is often applied to statues and masks. It is a very dark aspect of African religion, and this ties in with the dark themes on the album.
The inverted colours on the album cover also emphasize this, with the musical notes almost appearing burnt, and everything coming out darker than it would have been in its original colours. The colours themselves are mostly black, white, and gold, all colours together suggesting a dark majestic element, gold being traditionally associated with wealth, majesty, and royalty.
The predominance of the musical notes on this cover make it look slightly apocalyptic, especially including the tribal statue, as they give the impression of destruction, being ripped, and given the effect of being burnt by the inverted colours. They may also represent the tearing up of a music rulebook, or it may simply represent a pure act of hate.
Whatever the torn up music shows, it is a very foreboding image, and one that gives us a good sense of the type of music that awaits the listener. It is a very successful album cover, capturing the atmosphere of the music and image of the band at the time.
Video analysis 2
Video: Crying lightning
Band: Arctic Monkeys
Director: Richard Ayaode
“Crying Lightning” was a single from the album “humbug”, released in July 2009. The best way to describe it in terms of genre would be indie rock, although as ever. This description can be seen as inadequate.
The video is largely performance based, although it does feature a vague narrative involving the band sailing on a small boat in a style which is partly a parody on nautical oriented stories and films. Throughout the video we see various silhouettes of the band, and the way the video is composed is also reminiscent of various nautical paintings and films, with the composition and colours echoing this. Even the title of the video references this, using font and animation to give the impression of not just a nautical scene, but maybe of a ghost story.
The idea of ghosts returns later in the video when the band rise out of the water in a manner that is reminiscent of miracles and religious experiences. This is emphasized by the high angle of the camera, making the band seem superior.
The colours used in the video are those of a sunset, also giving it a slightly romantic feel, giving us a further idea of the video taking place within a painting. The colours, red, yellow and orange, also have connotations to anger however (especially red) and this could reflect the more aggressive aspect of the song.
The music does not correspond in any notable way with the editing of the video. The only significant way the music does really correspond is in what the band is doing in the video (playing instruments).
The narrative that is shown in the video does not follow the lyrics of the song whatsoever, but it does seem to follow the general atmosphere of the song, although this means that the video is very unexpected to people who have only listened to the song beforehand, and maybe not associated it necessarily with nautical or religious themes. This could be to it’s advantage, however, as this does mean it has an impact on the viewer, providing they have heard the song before.
Although lyrics and video are unrelated:
Outside the cafe by the cracker factory you were practicin' a magic trick
And my thoughts got rude as you talked and chewed
On the last of your pick and mix
Said you're mistaken if your thinkin' that
I haven't been caught cold before as you bit into your strawberry lace
And then a flip in your attention in the form of a gobstopper
Is all you have left and it was goin' to waste
Your past times consisted of the strange and twisted and deranged
And I love that little game you had called cryin' lightnin'
And how you like to aggravate the ice-cream man on rainy afternoons
The next time that I caught my own reflection
It was on it's way to meet you thinkin' of excuses to postpone
You never look like yourself from the side but your profile did not hide
The fact you knew I was approachin' your throne
With folded arms you occupy the bench like toothache
Saw them, puff your chest out like you never lost a war
And though I try so not to suffer the indignity of a reaction
There was no cracks to grasp or gaps to claw
And your past times consisted of the strange and twisted and deranged
And I hate that little game you had called cryin' lightnin'
And how you like to aggravate the icky man on rainy afternoons
Uninvitin' but not half as impossible as everyone assumes
You are cryin' lightnin'
Your past times consisted of the strange and twisted and deranged
And I hate that little game you had called cryin' lightnin', cryin' lightnin'
Cryin' lightnin', cryin' lightnin'
Your past times consisted of the strange and twisted and deranged
And I hate that little game you had called cryin'
Band: Arctic Monkeys
Director: Richard Ayaode
“Crying Lightning” was a single from the album “humbug”, released in July 2009. The best way to describe it in terms of genre would be indie rock, although as ever. This description can be seen as inadequate.
The video is largely performance based, although it does feature a vague narrative involving the band sailing on a small boat in a style which is partly a parody on nautical oriented stories and films. Throughout the video we see various silhouettes of the band, and the way the video is composed is also reminiscent of various nautical paintings and films, with the composition and colours echoing this. Even the title of the video references this, using font and animation to give the impression of not just a nautical scene, but maybe of a ghost story.
The idea of ghosts returns later in the video when the band rise out of the water in a manner that is reminiscent of miracles and religious experiences. This is emphasized by the high angle of the camera, making the band seem superior.
The colours used in the video are those of a sunset, also giving it a slightly romantic feel, giving us a further idea of the video taking place within a painting. The colours, red, yellow and orange, also have connotations to anger however (especially red) and this could reflect the more aggressive aspect of the song.
The music does not correspond in any notable way with the editing of the video. The only significant way the music does really correspond is in what the band is doing in the video (playing instruments).
The narrative that is shown in the video does not follow the lyrics of the song whatsoever, but it does seem to follow the general atmosphere of the song, although this means that the video is very unexpected to people who have only listened to the song beforehand, and maybe not associated it necessarily with nautical or religious themes. This could be to it’s advantage, however, as this does mean it has an impact on the viewer, providing they have heard the song before.
Although lyrics and video are unrelated:
Outside the cafe by the cracker factory you were practicin' a magic trick
And my thoughts got rude as you talked and chewed
On the last of your pick and mix
Said you're mistaken if your thinkin' that
I haven't been caught cold before as you bit into your strawberry lace
And then a flip in your attention in the form of a gobstopper
Is all you have left and it was goin' to waste
Your past times consisted of the strange and twisted and deranged
And I love that little game you had called cryin' lightnin'
And how you like to aggravate the ice-cream man on rainy afternoons
The next time that I caught my own reflection
It was on it's way to meet you thinkin' of excuses to postpone
You never look like yourself from the side but your profile did not hide
The fact you knew I was approachin' your throne
With folded arms you occupy the bench like toothache
Saw them, puff your chest out like you never lost a war
And though I try so not to suffer the indignity of a reaction
There was no cracks to grasp or gaps to claw
And your past times consisted of the strange and twisted and deranged
And I hate that little game you had called cryin' lightnin'
And how you like to aggravate the icky man on rainy afternoons
Uninvitin' but not half as impossible as everyone assumes
You are cryin' lightnin'
Your past times consisted of the strange and twisted and deranged
And I hate that little game you had called cryin' lightnin', cryin' lightnin'
Cryin' lightnin', cryin' lightnin'
Your past times consisted of the strange and twisted and deranged
And I hate that little game you had called cryin'
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