INT.Nightclub
Filming: Drama Studio/Green Screening/School
Date: Thursday 18th November
Costume: Red Heels, Pumps, Skirt, Trackies, Tight top, Baggy Jumper
Who you using: Sophie Dockerty
Filming shots 1-12
Establishing Shot - A Male Character seen getting booed (2 seconds)
Tracking, Close up shot of Violet's feet, walking in red high heels (3 seconds)
Tracking, Close up shot of Violet's feet, walking in pumps (3 seconds)
Tracking, Pan, Close up shot of Violet's legs in tights (2 seconds)
Tracking, Pan, Close up shot of Violet's legs in trackies (2 seconds)
Tracking, Pan, Close up shot of Violet's thighs, wearing skin tight skirt (2 seconds)
Tracking, Pan, Close up shot of Violet's thighs, wearing trackies (2 seconds)
Tracking, Pan, Close up shot of Violet's torso, wearing skin tight top (2 seconds)
Tracking, Pan, Close up shot of Violet's torso, wearing baggy jumper (2 seconds)
Long shot of Violet, in the nightclub (2 seconds)
Long shot of Whole of Violet, in school scene (2 seconds)
Tracking, Medium shot Violet in nightclub scene walking through the crowd and up to the stage (7 seconds)
Filming: Green Screening
Date: Monday 23rd November
Costume: Red heels, Tight skirt, Tight top, Baggy jumper, trackies, Pumps
Who you using: Sophie Dockerty, Matt/Sean
Filming Shots: 1-9
Medium shot of DJ getting on stage (3 seconds)
Low Angle, medium shot of the Violet on the stage showing dominance as looking down (1 second)
Medium Close up Shot of Violet behind the decks (2 seconds)
Close up of Chad in POV of Violet (2 seconds)
Close up of Violet in POV of Chad (2 seconds)
Very Long Shot of Violet locking eyes with Chad (3 seconds)
FLASHBACk - Int.School
Medium shot of Violet framed as weak and vulnerable (2 seconds)
High Angle, Medium Shot of Angle looking weak (2 Seconds)
Two Shot of Violet and Chad walking down corridor, being taunted and pushed out of the way by male characters (6 seconds)
INT.NIGHTCLUB
Filming: Green Screening, School Scene
Date: Monday 23rd November
Costume: Red heels, Tight Top, Tight skirt, Baggy Jumper, Trackies, Pumps
Who you using: Sophie, Sean/Matt
Filming: 1-12
Medium Close Shot of Violet preparing for her set, sorting out decks etc (2 seconds)
Close up shot of Violet putting on her headphones (2 seconds)
Medium Shot of Chad watching in the crowd (2 seconds)
FLASHBACK - INT.SCHOOL
Medium Close up as Violet is pushed and drops her folders (2 seconds)
Medium Close up shot of multiple images of existing DJ's spilling on the floor (2 seconds)
Close up of DJ images (2 seconds)
Close up of Shot of Chads face laughing (1 second)
Medium shot of Chad pointing and laughing at Violet (3 seconds)
High Angle, Medium Close up from Chads POV of Violet (3 seconds)
Medium Shot of Chad and friends walking away leaving her on the floor (3 seconds)
Medium Shot of Chad and friends walking away leaving her on the floor (3 seconds)
Medium shot of Violet alone on the floor (3 seconds)
INT.NIGHTCLUB
Filming: green Screening
When: 26th November
Costume: Red heels, tight top, tight skirt
Who you using: Sophie + Crowd
Filming frames: 1-23
Medium Close up of Violet DJing (2 seconds)
Long shot of Crowd Dancing (1 second)
Medium shot of Violet DJing (1 second)
Long, High Angle shot of Crowd Dancing (1 second)
Medium shot of Crowd Dancing (1 second)
Medium, low angle shot of Violet DJing (1 second)
Medium Close up of Crowd Dancing, catching Chads eye (1 second)
Close up of Crowd Dancing (1 second)
Medium shot of Violet DJing (1 second)
POV of Violet seeing the Crowd Dancing (1 second)
close up Violet DJing (1 second)
Medium Close up of Crowd Dancing (1 second)
Extreme Long Shot of Crowd Dancing (1 second)
Close up of Chad's facial expressions (2 seconds)
Long Shot of Violet and Chad catching eyes again (2 seconds)
Close up Shot of Violet Carrying on DJing (2 seconds)
Long Shot of Crowd Dancing (1 second)
Medium shot of Crowd Dancing (1 second)
medium, low angle shot Violet finishing set (1 second)
Medium shot Crowd Cheering (2 seconds)
Extreme Long Shot of Chad walking off alone and isolated (2 seconds)
Medium shot of Crowd Cheering (2 seconds)
Medium Close up of Shot of Violet surrounded by friends (3 seconds)
Fade out.
Thursday, 18 November 2010
Script
Synopsis -
Our synopsis begins with a tracking shot of the main female character, Violet, walking towards the stage. There will then be a series of flashes alternating between the past and present of Violets footwear, showing the comparison from when she was younger to the present day.
We then see Violet walking up to the stage, building tension and creating her status and dominance through the use of camera shots and angles. As she is walking up to the stage, the crowd will split, also reinforcing her status. Then the two main characters, one male and the female character, will lock eyes with each other, which will then develop into a flashback.
Jennie: The flashback will take us back to a school setting, which will mean we will be using a non-linear narrative. This will show the main female character as vulnerable and weak compared to the male character. Then the flashback will end and the narrative will return to the nightclub setting.
When we return to the nightclub setting there will be multiple shots of the female character, Violet, preparing for her set by sorting out her decks and putting on her headphones etc. We will then cut back to the main male character watching her in the crowd, suggesting he has some importance to the narrative but at a lower status than the main female, therefore challenging dominant ideology. There will then be another flashback.
The flashback consists of the female character at school being bullied and targeted by the male character, which reinforces the ideology that males are more dominant than females.
The flashback ends and when returning to the nightclub setting the beat of the music will drop and the female character will start her set. There then will be multiple jump shots of the crowd and the female DJing alternating. We will then see close up of the males facial expressions and then the two main characters will catch each others eyes again, but the female character will carry on her set.
Ellie: The final flashback will be again in a school setting she is pushed and drops her folder containing multiple images of existing famous DJ’s, which are mainly of the male gender, therefore challenging the ideology of gender, as she will become a successful female DJ. There is then a shot of the male characters face mocking the female character moments before walking away from the dance floor, thinking she will never succeed with her dream. The end of flashback then occurs.
At the end of her set, as the crowd cheer, she catches eyes with the male character again and he walks off alone and isolated. Then, the female is shown as the dominant DJ and the crowd show this by cheering the female and being surrounded by friends.
Josh: Female character Profile:
We will encode this female character within the text as a character who challenges dominant ideology in terms of gender, in order to make our audience active, as it is not a text that is a pastiche of a typical dance genre, music video. We will represent this female character and the characterisation of the character through semiotics and technical codes. She will be framed using high angle shots at the beginning, whilst wearing ordinary, non-glamorous clothing, representing her as a vulnerable, innocent character, whom the audience will pity and empathise in.
Our protagonist character is of a female gender, which is a sudden challenging within the dance genre, as many dance music videos involve a male character who possesses the chief role within the narrative; Kid Cudi for example, in a variety of his dance music videos. However, if a dance music video decides to place a female in the protagonist role they are usually constructed stereotypically as provocative, due to their costume and they way they are technically framed from scene to scene. As a group we have decided to initially challenge this type of dominant ideology that is usually constructed within the dance genre. Our female protagonist will be originally constructed as a vulnerable teenager, who shouldn’t really fit within the ‘powerful’and provocative dance scene.
Amy: Also, our character is a white female; we believe this conforms to ethnic dominant ideology that is presentable in the dance genre, as almost all females seen in dance music videos are of a white ethnicity. In addition, our female protagonist will be represented as a late teenager, possibly eighteen or nineteen, which also conforms to the genre of dance, as the genre usually incorporates younger females dressed in provocative clothing in an attempt to sell itself to a wider male audience. We believe that integrating this ideology of youth, whilst challenging dominant ideology concerning gender, we will create a product that can attract a mass audience of a male and female gender. We expect that both genders of the audience receive the preferred meaning of the text, the hegemony of anti-bullying and how the female gender can overlook the male gender and break patriarchal society. On the other hand, we may expect some of our male audience to attain an oppositional reading of the text, as we assume they will not be used to the breaking of patriarchal society within the media; meaning they will decode the text in a different way in which the preferred reading is constructed. However, we have attempted to counter balance this in the way we have conformed to other technical codes found in the dance genre; setting, camera shots, editing and costume, for example.
Jennie: However, as the narrative progresses, and the protagonist is characterised due to her success in her DJ occupation, this original conformation of dominant gender ideology is broken. The dominance shifts towards the female as she is framed as the DJ and therefore her confidence grows as a character. This challenges dominant representation of gender as the chief DJ's in the world are in most cases male. We hope to break the norms of patriarchy in our product, and break the dominant ideology of the male gender, and this scene is the start of that attempt. At the End of our video the woman is shown as the dominant and powerful character therefore challenging dominant ideology of man being dominant over women. This also conforms to Levi Strauss' binary opposites of man versus woman. We also believe that we will challenge the dominant ideology of youth, as our protagonist is succeeding in a profession, and taking life seriously, unlike the stereotype of youth suggests. Challenging the stock characters involved in the dance genre will hopefully make the plot development and narrative more engaging, as the female audience may also be able to personally identify with the protagonist, which should expectantly make the audience active.
Ellie: A feminist view of this character after she experiences a change could include Laura Mulvey’s theory that the female body is displayed for the male gaze in order to create voyeurism for a male audience. However, as this female character becomes dominant, this will also engage a female audience, as it is not conventional and challenges what the female gender see as societies gender norms.
Male character profile:
This is the main male character in our narrative. He is classed as a stereotypical ‘action/hero’ male character who is portrayed as dominant from the beginning of the text, but in a negative manner. His attempts to bully and undermine the female protagonist reinforce gender dominance, but as his actions are unethical his relationship with the audience will be a negative one. However, this ‘powerful’ male character will experience a downfall in dominance, as he will see the female character succeed in her occupation of DJing, which makes him turn away and leave the setting, with a facial expression suggesting defeat.
Josh: We will encode this male character in an attempt to conform to dominant ideology when speaking of gender. His rash thinking and actions throughout the narrative reinforce the male stereotype. He will dominate the frame when he is shown as the ‘bully’ but as gender dominance roles reverse he will be captured in low angle point of view shots that express his sudden lack of dominance in comparison to the female character.
This male character will stand in the crowd and will show clear signs of envy towards the female character. Youth will be represented for this male character as stereotypical, as he is shown as having lack of intelligence due to his bullying of the female character. But his targeting of the female character and his confrontational behaviour stereotypically allow him to gain friends of the same type, who laugh at his‘achievements’ and destroy the confidence of the female character throughout the flashbacks.
Amy: Costume:
The female character’s original costume will challenge the dominant ideology of the costumes usually found within the dance genre. She will dress in average, dull clothing, and will be framed as an unimportant character at the beginning of the narrative to highlight her lack of dominance. This is a conformation towards gender’s dominant ideology as she will be constructed as weak in comparison to the male characters in the opening of the narrative, who possess dominance over her. However, as she succeeds in her occupation as a DJ as the narrative progresses, she will be dressed in more provocative, which closely reflects the type of clothing which would be worn to a nightclub, reinforcing realism. The camera shots also become more intense, as we will use close up shots of her provocative costume (including red high heels which are stereotypically seen in the dance genre due to their connotations of passion and danger, which link highly to the type of music contained by the genre). The male character involved will wear black clothing to reinforce his dominance as a male character, and will be a stereotypical ‘cocky’ character, as his costume suggests.
Jennie: Shooting Script:
The camera shots we will use will alter as the narrative progresses. At the start of the video, our female character will be framed behind extra characters, and in medium long shots, with little emphasis on her facial features and her attire; however, as she is characterized, these camera shots will become more intense, as a higher amount of close ups and medium close ups will be used to put emphasis on her new instated character. The same idea will occur when concerning camera angles. She will be framed via high angle shots at the foundation of the text so it seems as though the audience is looking down upon her lowly stature. However, as she is characterized, these high angle shots become low angle shots, where we look up towards her new instated dominance. We hope to use artificial lighting to a maximum in order to create a realistic setting that conforms to the dance genre, so that our artist character looks as though she ‘belongs’ there. Finally, when mastering our product, an excessive amount of jump cuts will be used to create a product with editing that is a pastiche of others within the genre of dance.
Storyboard: This is the storyboard for our music video. (Slideshow on Powerpoint)
Ellie: Generic conventions:
Stock Settings: Throughout the music videos analysed, the stock settings that appeared multiple times were nightclubs and bedrooms which link to the theme and mood of the music. For example, a bedroom may be included as it may be where you are getting ready for a night out whilst listening to dance music. However, our entire narrative takes place in a nightclub setting, which will be an amass of strobe lighting. This is a conformation of the typical stock settings found within the dance genre. We thought that there was no need to challenge the stock settings as a nightclub setting should work suitably.
Josh: Representation: The ages of the characters used within the videos we researched are teenagers or young adults. This represents this age to be the target audience and suggest they are out drinking and partying all the time, as seen in the videos, reinforcing this stereotype of youth. We will conform to this stereotype of age through both our male and female character.
Amy: The use of the typical seductive women used throughout the music videos we researched links to the fact that the dance genre of music tends to focus on the gender of women, but could appeal to males because the provocative women may be seen as objects. This links highly to a feministic view, especially that of Laura Mulvey’s.
Jennie: Technical Codes:
Lighting- The use of dimly lit lighting to portray a night-time atmosphere will be used in our product, which links together with nightclub setting which features in multiple music videos we researched. A Key light is also often used to highlight the artist and reinforce her importance; this is another code we will conform to. The videos also tend to use flashing lights or strobe lighting to create the nightclub feel. We will also incorporate this into our video, so that the setting is a conformation to the dance genre.
Ellie: Camera Shots- We will use close ups in our product that shadow the identity of the dancer or artist to create enigma, which tends to be at the start of the music video. Medium and close up shots along with tracking shots will be used to highlight the importance of the artist. A number of medium and long shots will also be involved, allowing the audience to clearly see the setting and the attire of the characters. The use of close ups of the artist throughout our product will allow the audience to relate to the protagonist, especially as she is characterised throughout the narrative.
Josh: Editing- The editing of our video will be very fast paced, which is conventional to the dance genre. A number of jump and straight cuts will be incorporated into our final product. These types of edits will be used to create a fast pace in order to match the beat of the song.
Body movement and gesture- There will be repetitive ‘dancing’ movements which fit to the pace and beat of the music in our music video, which also reinforce the atmosphere of the setting and portray realism. Flirtatious dancing and was commonly seen throughout our research, along with the touching of other people to suggest the ‘nightclub’ atmosphere. We will conform to the typical movement and gestures found in the dance genre.
Amy: Narrative Theory;
When listening to the lyrics within most of the music video’s we researched, it suggested that narrative theories such as Todorov’s theory could be easily applied. In our product we will use elements from Todorov’s narrative theory, including an equilibrium, disequilibrium, realisation of the equilibrium, an attempt to repair the equilibrium and the new equilibrium. However, as our product will follow a non linear narrative, it will not be a direct copy of Todorov’s theory.
Jennie: Institution:
Our chosen record label is ‘All Around The World Records’. It was founded in 1991 by directors Matt Cadman and Cris Nuttall, and is based in Blackburn, England. The main artist's include Cascada, Ultrabeat, Darren Styles and Scooter, which show us as a group that they are a very successful within the dance genre. Along with dance artists’, they are also very active in the compilation area, with there main compilations being the Floorfiller and Clubland Albums.
Ellie: We feel this label is most suitable to represent our dance artist as it focuses mainly on the dance genre and offers compilations as well as solo albums. By choosing this record label, it should enable us to get the most publicity for our artist as they are incredibly successful in the field of promoting dance artists.
Our synopsis begins with a tracking shot of the main female character, Violet, walking towards the stage. There will then be a series of flashes alternating between the past and present of Violets footwear, showing the comparison from when she was younger to the present day.
We then see Violet walking up to the stage, building tension and creating her status and dominance through the use of camera shots and angles. As she is walking up to the stage, the crowd will split, also reinforcing her status. Then the two main characters, one male and the female character, will lock eyes with each other, which will then develop into a flashback.
Jennie: The flashback will take us back to a school setting, which will mean we will be using a non-linear narrative. This will show the main female character as vulnerable and weak compared to the male character. Then the flashback will end and the narrative will return to the nightclub setting.
When we return to the nightclub setting there will be multiple shots of the female character, Violet, preparing for her set by sorting out her decks and putting on her headphones etc. We will then cut back to the main male character watching her in the crowd, suggesting he has some importance to the narrative but at a lower status than the main female, therefore challenging dominant ideology. There will then be another flashback.
The flashback consists of the female character at school being bullied and targeted by the male character, which reinforces the ideology that males are more dominant than females.
The flashback ends and when returning to the nightclub setting the beat of the music will drop and the female character will start her set. There then will be multiple jump shots of the crowd and the female DJing alternating. We will then see close up of the males facial expressions and then the two main characters will catch each others eyes again, but the female character will carry on her set.
Ellie: The final flashback will be again in a school setting she is pushed and drops her folder containing multiple images of existing famous DJ’s, which are mainly of the male gender, therefore challenging the ideology of gender, as she will become a successful female DJ. There is then a shot of the male characters face mocking the female character moments before walking away from the dance floor, thinking she will never succeed with her dream. The end of flashback then occurs.
At the end of her set, as the crowd cheer, she catches eyes with the male character again and he walks off alone and isolated. Then, the female is shown as the dominant DJ and the crowd show this by cheering the female and being surrounded by friends.
Josh: Female character Profile:
We will encode this female character within the text as a character who challenges dominant ideology in terms of gender, in order to make our audience active, as it is not a text that is a pastiche of a typical dance genre, music video. We will represent this female character and the characterisation of the character through semiotics and technical codes. She will be framed using high angle shots at the beginning, whilst wearing ordinary, non-glamorous clothing, representing her as a vulnerable, innocent character, whom the audience will pity and empathise in.
Our protagonist character is of a female gender, which is a sudden challenging within the dance genre, as many dance music videos involve a male character who possesses the chief role within the narrative; Kid Cudi for example, in a variety of his dance music videos. However, if a dance music video decides to place a female in the protagonist role they are usually constructed stereotypically as provocative, due to their costume and they way they are technically framed from scene to scene. As a group we have decided to initially challenge this type of dominant ideology that is usually constructed within the dance genre. Our female protagonist will be originally constructed as a vulnerable teenager, who shouldn’t really fit within the ‘powerful’and provocative dance scene.
Amy: Also, our character is a white female; we believe this conforms to ethnic dominant ideology that is presentable in the dance genre, as almost all females seen in dance music videos are of a white ethnicity. In addition, our female protagonist will be represented as a late teenager, possibly eighteen or nineteen, which also conforms to the genre of dance, as the genre usually incorporates younger females dressed in provocative clothing in an attempt to sell itself to a wider male audience. We believe that integrating this ideology of youth, whilst challenging dominant ideology concerning gender, we will create a product that can attract a mass audience of a male and female gender. We expect that both genders of the audience receive the preferred meaning of the text, the hegemony of anti-bullying and how the female gender can overlook the male gender and break patriarchal society. On the other hand, we may expect some of our male audience to attain an oppositional reading of the text, as we assume they will not be used to the breaking of patriarchal society within the media; meaning they will decode the text in a different way in which the preferred reading is constructed. However, we have attempted to counter balance this in the way we have conformed to other technical codes found in the dance genre; setting, camera shots, editing and costume, for example.
Jennie: However, as the narrative progresses, and the protagonist is characterised due to her success in her DJ occupation, this original conformation of dominant gender ideology is broken. The dominance shifts towards the female as she is framed as the DJ and therefore her confidence grows as a character. This challenges dominant representation of gender as the chief DJ's in the world are in most cases male. We hope to break the norms of patriarchy in our product, and break the dominant ideology of the male gender, and this scene is the start of that attempt. At the End of our video the woman is shown as the dominant and powerful character therefore challenging dominant ideology of man being dominant over women. This also conforms to Levi Strauss' binary opposites of man versus woman. We also believe that we will challenge the dominant ideology of youth, as our protagonist is succeeding in a profession, and taking life seriously, unlike the stereotype of youth suggests. Challenging the stock characters involved in the dance genre will hopefully make the plot development and narrative more engaging, as the female audience may also be able to personally identify with the protagonist, which should expectantly make the audience active.
Ellie: A feminist view of this character after she experiences a change could include Laura Mulvey’s theory that the female body is displayed for the male gaze in order to create voyeurism for a male audience. However, as this female character becomes dominant, this will also engage a female audience, as it is not conventional and challenges what the female gender see as societies gender norms.
Male character profile:
This is the main male character in our narrative. He is classed as a stereotypical ‘action/hero’ male character who is portrayed as dominant from the beginning of the text, but in a negative manner. His attempts to bully and undermine the female protagonist reinforce gender dominance, but as his actions are unethical his relationship with the audience will be a negative one. However, this ‘powerful’ male character will experience a downfall in dominance, as he will see the female character succeed in her occupation of DJing, which makes him turn away and leave the setting, with a facial expression suggesting defeat.
Josh: We will encode this male character in an attempt to conform to dominant ideology when speaking of gender. His rash thinking and actions throughout the narrative reinforce the male stereotype. He will dominate the frame when he is shown as the ‘bully’ but as gender dominance roles reverse he will be captured in low angle point of view shots that express his sudden lack of dominance in comparison to the female character.
This male character will stand in the crowd and will show clear signs of envy towards the female character. Youth will be represented for this male character as stereotypical, as he is shown as having lack of intelligence due to his bullying of the female character. But his targeting of the female character and his confrontational behaviour stereotypically allow him to gain friends of the same type, who laugh at his‘achievements’ and destroy the confidence of the female character throughout the flashbacks.
Amy: Costume:
The female character’s original costume will challenge the dominant ideology of the costumes usually found within the dance genre. She will dress in average, dull clothing, and will be framed as an unimportant character at the beginning of the narrative to highlight her lack of dominance. This is a conformation towards gender’s dominant ideology as she will be constructed as weak in comparison to the male characters in the opening of the narrative, who possess dominance over her. However, as she succeeds in her occupation as a DJ as the narrative progresses, she will be dressed in more provocative, which closely reflects the type of clothing which would be worn to a nightclub, reinforcing realism. The camera shots also become more intense, as we will use close up shots of her provocative costume (including red high heels which are stereotypically seen in the dance genre due to their connotations of passion and danger, which link highly to the type of music contained by the genre). The male character involved will wear black clothing to reinforce his dominance as a male character, and will be a stereotypical ‘cocky’ character, as his costume suggests.
Jennie: Shooting Script:
The camera shots we will use will alter as the narrative progresses. At the start of the video, our female character will be framed behind extra characters, and in medium long shots, with little emphasis on her facial features and her attire; however, as she is characterized, these camera shots will become more intense, as a higher amount of close ups and medium close ups will be used to put emphasis on her new instated character. The same idea will occur when concerning camera angles. She will be framed via high angle shots at the foundation of the text so it seems as though the audience is looking down upon her lowly stature. However, as she is characterized, these high angle shots become low angle shots, where we look up towards her new instated dominance. We hope to use artificial lighting to a maximum in order to create a realistic setting that conforms to the dance genre, so that our artist character looks as though she ‘belongs’ there. Finally, when mastering our product, an excessive amount of jump cuts will be used to create a product with editing that is a pastiche of others within the genre of dance.
Storyboard: This is the storyboard for our music video. (Slideshow on Powerpoint)
Ellie: Generic conventions:
Stock Settings: Throughout the music videos analysed, the stock settings that appeared multiple times were nightclubs and bedrooms which link to the theme and mood of the music. For example, a bedroom may be included as it may be where you are getting ready for a night out whilst listening to dance music. However, our entire narrative takes place in a nightclub setting, which will be an amass of strobe lighting. This is a conformation of the typical stock settings found within the dance genre. We thought that there was no need to challenge the stock settings as a nightclub setting should work suitably.
Josh: Representation: The ages of the characters used within the videos we researched are teenagers or young adults. This represents this age to be the target audience and suggest they are out drinking and partying all the time, as seen in the videos, reinforcing this stereotype of youth. We will conform to this stereotype of age through both our male and female character.
Amy: The use of the typical seductive women used throughout the music videos we researched links to the fact that the dance genre of music tends to focus on the gender of women, but could appeal to males because the provocative women may be seen as objects. This links highly to a feministic view, especially that of Laura Mulvey’s.
Jennie: Technical Codes:
Lighting- The use of dimly lit lighting to portray a night-time atmosphere will be used in our product, which links together with nightclub setting which features in multiple music videos we researched. A Key light is also often used to highlight the artist and reinforce her importance; this is another code we will conform to. The videos also tend to use flashing lights or strobe lighting to create the nightclub feel. We will also incorporate this into our video, so that the setting is a conformation to the dance genre.
Ellie: Camera Shots- We will use close ups in our product that shadow the identity of the dancer or artist to create enigma, which tends to be at the start of the music video. Medium and close up shots along with tracking shots will be used to highlight the importance of the artist. A number of medium and long shots will also be involved, allowing the audience to clearly see the setting and the attire of the characters. The use of close ups of the artist throughout our product will allow the audience to relate to the protagonist, especially as she is characterised throughout the narrative.
Josh: Editing- The editing of our video will be very fast paced, which is conventional to the dance genre. A number of jump and straight cuts will be incorporated into our final product. These types of edits will be used to create a fast pace in order to match the beat of the song.
Body movement and gesture- There will be repetitive ‘dancing’ movements which fit to the pace and beat of the music in our music video, which also reinforce the atmosphere of the setting and portray realism. Flirtatious dancing and was commonly seen throughout our research, along with the touching of other people to suggest the ‘nightclub’ atmosphere. We will conform to the typical movement and gestures found in the dance genre.
Amy: Narrative Theory;
When listening to the lyrics within most of the music video’s we researched, it suggested that narrative theories such as Todorov’s theory could be easily applied. In our product we will use elements from Todorov’s narrative theory, including an equilibrium, disequilibrium, realisation of the equilibrium, an attempt to repair the equilibrium and the new equilibrium. However, as our product will follow a non linear narrative, it will not be a direct copy of Todorov’s theory.
Jennie: Institution:
Our chosen record label is ‘All Around The World Records’. It was founded in 1991 by directors Matt Cadman and Cris Nuttall, and is based in Blackburn, England. The main artist's include Cascada, Ultrabeat, Darren Styles and Scooter, which show us as a group that they are a very successful within the dance genre. Along with dance artists’, they are also very active in the compilation area, with there main compilations being the Floorfiller and Clubland Albums.
Ellie: We feel this label is most suitable to represent our dance artist as it focuses mainly on the dance genre and offers compilations as well as solo albums. By choosing this record label, it should enable us to get the most publicity for our artist as they are incredibly successful in the field of promoting dance artists.
Character Profile
Character Profiles (Representation)
Female protagonist character –
This is the main character in our narrative that experiences a change in persona as the narrative progresses. She will be shown as a stereotypical female character who is portrayed as vulnerable at the beginning of the narrative, but as the plot develops she will become more dominant and reverse the roles of dominant ideology.
We will encode this female character within the text as a character who challenges dominant ideology in terms of gender, in order to make our audience active, as it is not a text that is a pastiche of a typical dance genre, music video. We will represent this female character and the characterisation of the character through semiotics and technical codes. She will be framed using high angle shots at the beginning, whilst wearing ordinary, non-glamorous clothing, representing her as a vulnerable, innocent character, whom the audience will pity and empathise in.
Our protagonist character is of a female gender, which is a sudden challenging within the dance genre, as many dance music videos involve a male character who possesses the chief role within the narrative; Kid Cudi for example, in a variety of his dance music videos. However, if a dance music video decides to place a female in the protagonist role they are usually constructed stereotypically as provocative, due to their costume and they way they are technically framed from scene to scene. As a group we have decided to initially challenge this type of dominant ideology that is usually constructed within the dance genre. Our female protagonist will be originally constructed as a vulnerable teenager, who shouldn’t really fit within the ‘powerful’ and provocative dance scene.
Her original costume will challenge the dominant ideology of the costumes usually found within the dance genre. She will dress in average, dull clothing, and will be framed as an unimportant character at the beginning of the narrative to highlight her lack of dominance. This is a conformation towards gender’s dominant ideology as she will be constructed as weak in comparison to the male characters in the opening of the narrative, who possess dominance over her. Also, our character is a white female; we believe this conforms to ethnic dominant ideology that is presentable in the dance genre, as almost all females seen in dance music videos are of a white ethnicity. In addition, our female protagonist will be represented as a late teenager, possibly eighteen or nineteen, which also conforms to the genre of dance, as the genre usually incorporates younger females dressed in provocative clothing in an attempt to sell itself to a wider male audience. We believe that integrating this ideology of youth, whilst challenging dominant ideology concerning gender, we will create a product that can attract a mass audience of a male and female gender. We expect that both genders of the audience receive the preferred meaning of the text, the hegemony of anti-bullying and how the female gender can overlook the male gender and break patriarchal society. On the other hand, we may expect some of our male audience to attain an oppositional reading of the text, as we assume they will not be used to the breaking of patriarchal society within the media; meaning they will decode the text in a different way in which the preferred reading is constructed. However, we have attempted to counter balance this in the way we have conformed to other technical codes found in the dance genre; setting, camera shots, editing and costume, for example.
However, as the narrative progresses, and the protagonist is characterised due to her success in her DJ occupation, this original conformation of dominant gender ideology is broken. The dominance shifts towards the female as she is framed as the DJ and therefore her confidence grows as a character. This challenges dominant representation of gender as the chief DJ's in the world are in most cases male. We hope to break the norms of patriarchy in our product, and thwart the dominant ideology of the male gender, and this scene is the start of that attempt. The camera shots we will use will alter as the narrative progresses. At the start of the video, she will be framed behind extra characters, and in medium long shots, with little emphasis on her facial features and her attire; however, as she succeeds in her occupation as a DJ, the camera shots become more intense, as we will use close up shots of her provocative costume (including red high heels which are stereotypically seen in the dance genre due to their connotations of passion and danger, which link highly to the type of music found contained by the genre) and her gestures, which we believe will conform to how gender is represented in the dance genre as well as reinforcing realism. The same idea will occur when concerning camera angles. She will be framed via high angle shots at the foundation of the text so it seems as though the audience is looking down upon her lowly stature. However, as she is characterised, these high angle shots become low angle shots, where we look up towards her new instated dominance. We hope to use artificial lighting to a maximum in order to create a realistic setting that conforms to the dance genre, so that our artist character looks as though she ‘belongs’ there. Finally, when mastering our product, an excessive amount of jump cuts will be used to create a product with editing that is a pastiche of others within the genre of dance.
At the End of our video the woman is shown as the dominant and powerful character therefore challenging dominant ideology of man being dominant over women. This also conforms to Levi Strauss' binary opposites of man versus woman. We also believe that we will challenge the dominant ideology of youth, as our protagonist is succeeding in a profession, and taking life seriously, unlike the stereotype of youth suggests. Challenging the stock characters involved in the dance genre will hopefully make the plot development and narrative more engaging, as the female audience may also be able to personally identify with the protagonist, which should expectantly make the audience active.
A feminist view of this character after she experiences a change could include Laura Mulvey’s theory that the female body is displayed for the male gaze in order to create voyeurism for a male audience. However, as this female character becomes dominant, this will also engage a female audience, as it is not conventional and challenges what the female gender see as societies gender norms.
Male character –
This is the main male character in our narrative. He is classed as a stereotypical ‘action/hero’ male character who is portrayed as dominant from the beginning of the text, but in a negative manner. His attempts to bully and undermine the female protagonist reinforce gender dominance, but as his actions are unethical his relationship with the audience will be a negative one. However, this ‘powerful’ male character will experience a downfall in dominance, as he will see the female character succeed in her occupation of DJing, which makes him turn away and leave the setting, with a facial expression suggesting defeat.
We will encode this male character in an attempt to conform to dominant ideology when speaking of gender. His rash thinking and actions throughout the narrative reinforce the male stereotype. He will dominate the frame when he is shown as the ‘bully’ but as gender dominance roles reverse he will be captured in low angle point of view shots that express his sudden lack of dominance in comparison to the female character.
This male character will stand in the crowd and will show clear signs of envy towards the female character. This character will wear black clothing to reinforce his dominance as a male character, and will be a stereotypical ‘cocky’ character. Youth will be represented for this male character as stereotypical, as he is shown as having lack of intelligence due to his bullying of the female character. But his targeting of the female character and his confrontational behaviour stereotypically allow him to gain friends of the same type, who laugh at his ‘achievements’ and destroy the confidence of the female character.
Female protagonist character –
This is the main character in our narrative that experiences a change in persona as the narrative progresses. She will be shown as a stereotypical female character who is portrayed as vulnerable at the beginning of the narrative, but as the plot develops she will become more dominant and reverse the roles of dominant ideology.
We will encode this female character within the text as a character who challenges dominant ideology in terms of gender, in order to make our audience active, as it is not a text that is a pastiche of a typical dance genre, music video. We will represent this female character and the characterisation of the character through semiotics and technical codes. She will be framed using high angle shots at the beginning, whilst wearing ordinary, non-glamorous clothing, representing her as a vulnerable, innocent character, whom the audience will pity and empathise in.
Our protagonist character is of a female gender, which is a sudden challenging within the dance genre, as many dance music videos involve a male character who possesses the chief role within the narrative; Kid Cudi for example, in a variety of his dance music videos. However, if a dance music video decides to place a female in the protagonist role they are usually constructed stereotypically as provocative, due to their costume and they way they are technically framed from scene to scene. As a group we have decided to initially challenge this type of dominant ideology that is usually constructed within the dance genre. Our female protagonist will be originally constructed as a vulnerable teenager, who shouldn’t really fit within the ‘powerful’ and provocative dance scene.
Her original costume will challenge the dominant ideology of the costumes usually found within the dance genre. She will dress in average, dull clothing, and will be framed as an unimportant character at the beginning of the narrative to highlight her lack of dominance. This is a conformation towards gender’s dominant ideology as she will be constructed as weak in comparison to the male characters in the opening of the narrative, who possess dominance over her. Also, our character is a white female; we believe this conforms to ethnic dominant ideology that is presentable in the dance genre, as almost all females seen in dance music videos are of a white ethnicity. In addition, our female protagonist will be represented as a late teenager, possibly eighteen or nineteen, which also conforms to the genre of dance, as the genre usually incorporates younger females dressed in provocative clothing in an attempt to sell itself to a wider male audience. We believe that integrating this ideology of youth, whilst challenging dominant ideology concerning gender, we will create a product that can attract a mass audience of a male and female gender. We expect that both genders of the audience receive the preferred meaning of the text, the hegemony of anti-bullying and how the female gender can overlook the male gender and break patriarchal society. On the other hand, we may expect some of our male audience to attain an oppositional reading of the text, as we assume they will not be used to the breaking of patriarchal society within the media; meaning they will decode the text in a different way in which the preferred reading is constructed. However, we have attempted to counter balance this in the way we have conformed to other technical codes found in the dance genre; setting, camera shots, editing and costume, for example.
However, as the narrative progresses, and the protagonist is characterised due to her success in her DJ occupation, this original conformation of dominant gender ideology is broken. The dominance shifts towards the female as she is framed as the DJ and therefore her confidence grows as a character. This challenges dominant representation of gender as the chief DJ's in the world are in most cases male. We hope to break the norms of patriarchy in our product, and thwart the dominant ideology of the male gender, and this scene is the start of that attempt. The camera shots we will use will alter as the narrative progresses. At the start of the video, she will be framed behind extra characters, and in medium long shots, with little emphasis on her facial features and her attire; however, as she succeeds in her occupation as a DJ, the camera shots become more intense, as we will use close up shots of her provocative costume (including red high heels which are stereotypically seen in the dance genre due to their connotations of passion and danger, which link highly to the type of music found contained by the genre) and her gestures, which we believe will conform to how gender is represented in the dance genre as well as reinforcing realism. The same idea will occur when concerning camera angles. She will be framed via high angle shots at the foundation of the text so it seems as though the audience is looking down upon her lowly stature. However, as she is characterised, these high angle shots become low angle shots, where we look up towards her new instated dominance. We hope to use artificial lighting to a maximum in order to create a realistic setting that conforms to the dance genre, so that our artist character looks as though she ‘belongs’ there. Finally, when mastering our product, an excessive amount of jump cuts will be used to create a product with editing that is a pastiche of others within the genre of dance.
At the End of our video the woman is shown as the dominant and powerful character therefore challenging dominant ideology of man being dominant over women. This also conforms to Levi Strauss' binary opposites of man versus woman. We also believe that we will challenge the dominant ideology of youth, as our protagonist is succeeding in a profession, and taking life seriously, unlike the stereotype of youth suggests. Challenging the stock characters involved in the dance genre will hopefully make the plot development and narrative more engaging, as the female audience may also be able to personally identify with the protagonist, which should expectantly make the audience active.
A feminist view of this character after she experiences a change could include Laura Mulvey’s theory that the female body is displayed for the male gaze in order to create voyeurism for a male audience. However, as this female character becomes dominant, this will also engage a female audience, as it is not conventional and challenges what the female gender see as societies gender norms.
Male character –
This is the main male character in our narrative. He is classed as a stereotypical ‘action/hero’ male character who is portrayed as dominant from the beginning of the text, but in a negative manner. His attempts to bully and undermine the female protagonist reinforce gender dominance, but as his actions are unethical his relationship with the audience will be a negative one. However, this ‘powerful’ male character will experience a downfall in dominance, as he will see the female character succeed in her occupation of DJing, which makes him turn away and leave the setting, with a facial expression suggesting defeat.
We will encode this male character in an attempt to conform to dominant ideology when speaking of gender. His rash thinking and actions throughout the narrative reinforce the male stereotype. He will dominate the frame when he is shown as the ‘bully’ but as gender dominance roles reverse he will be captured in low angle point of view shots that express his sudden lack of dominance in comparison to the female character.
This male character will stand in the crowd and will show clear signs of envy towards the female character. This character will wear black clothing to reinforce his dominance as a male character, and will be a stereotypical ‘cocky’ character. Youth will be represented for this male character as stereotypical, as he is shown as having lack of intelligence due to his bullying of the female character. But his targeting of the female character and his confrontational behaviour stereotypically allow him to gain friends of the same type, who laugh at his ‘achievements’ and destroy the confidence of the female character.
Tuesday, 19 October 2010
Pyschographic Questionnaire
1. Do you think you are driven by money?
Yes___ No___
2. Are you interested in designer clothes?
Yes___ No___ Sometimes___
3. What do you do in your spare time?
____________________________________________________________
4. Do you do any charity work?
Yes___ No___
5. Would you say you live a fulfilling life?
Definitely__ Maybe__ No__
6. Would you class yourself as successful?
Yes__ No__ Maybe__
If yes Why?
_____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________
7. Do you strive to do well in life?
Yes___ Sometimes___ No___
8. What class do you consider yourself to be?
Upper ___ Middle___ Working___ Lower___ Other___
9. Do you watch the news?
Yes___ No___ Sometimes___
10. Are you a social person?
Yes__ No__ Sometimes___
11. Do you consume alcohol on a regular basis?
Always___ Occasionally___ Sometimes___ Never___
12. What is your preferred dress code on a night out?
Casual___ Smart___ Provocative___ Comfort___ Other___ N/A___
Yes___ No___
2. Are you interested in designer clothes?
Yes___ No___ Sometimes___
3. What do you do in your spare time?
____________________________________________________________
4. Do you do any charity work?
Yes___ No___
5. Would you say you live a fulfilling life?
Definitely__ Maybe__ No__
6. Would you class yourself as successful?
Yes__ No__ Maybe__
If yes Why?
_____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________
7. Do you strive to do well in life?
Yes___ Sometimes___ No___
8. What class do you consider yourself to be?
Upper ___ Middle___ Working___ Lower___ Other___
9. Do you watch the news?
Yes___ No___ Sometimes___
10. Are you a social person?
Yes__ No__ Sometimes___
11. Do you consume alcohol on a regular basis?
Always___ Occasionally___ Sometimes___ Never___
12. What is your preferred dress code on a night out?
Casual___ Smart___ Provocative___ Comfort___ Other___ N/A___
Pyschographic Questionnaire Summary
Using the Values, Attitudes and Lifestyles audience theory, along with the LifeMatrix theory, we could identify who are target audience were in more detail.
- We found that the majority are driven by money, suggesting our audience are fulfillers and strivers in life.
- They all Show interest in designer clothes showing our audience could also be aspirers.
- They don't do charity work, suggesting they are the opposite of Young and Rubicam's audience type: 'reformers', as they do not define themselves by their self-fulfillment.
- Many of the results we got suggested that their usual hobbies are socialisation and sport, showing an aspect of the typical 'mainstreamer' within our audience.
- They also feel they live fulfilling life to an extent; which also illustrates that they are fulfillers.
- All feel they are successful to a certain extent; portraying that they are experiencers, who have experienced success through showing success in work and activities and can deal with different situations which allow them to be successful. They may also be classed as Believers, as they attempt to succeed in life personally.
- They all strive to do well in life, which therefore suggests they are strivers in life, according to the Values, Attitudes and Lifestyle audience theory.
- There is a general mass audience of mixed classes with the majority belonging to the working and middle classes.
- Our audience occasionally watch the news but not on a regular basis, showing that our target audience are the opposite of actualisers, and do not take life too seriously.
- Our audience are all classed as sociable; suggesting that they are experiencers and makers, according to the VAL audience theory.
- All of our audience consume alcohol on a regular basis, illustrating that they fit well into the 'Fun/Antics' LifeMatrix audience theory types.
- Provocative dress code was the leading chosen preferred dress code for a night out; showing that they are Makers, as well as fitting into the stereotypical view of dress code that the dance genre depicts.
Thursday, 7 October 2010
Questionnaire Summary
From this questionnaire we will be able to tell who our target demographic is and what attracts them to buying dance music.
We found that mainly females who are aged 16 to 24 tend to listen and buy dance music, possibly because they can easily relate to the music when they goout to nightclubs etc.
The target audience tend to listen to the dance music on the television on channels such as MTV dance but also listen to there music on there ipod which they have downloaded from the internet.
We found that mainly females who are aged 16 to 24 tend to listen and buy dance music, possibly because they can easily relate to the music when they goout to nightclubs etc.
The target audience tend to listen to the dance music on the television on channels such as MTV dance but also listen to there music on there ipod which they have downloaded from the internet.
Many of the people surveyed said they find out and hear upcoming music via the television and the internet, showing this is the main way of distributing our dance music video.
The results showed that the audience expect to see the stock settings of nightclubs and bedrooms which relate to the genre of music and also the stock characters they expect to see are female dancers within the videos, possibly relating to the gender of the target audience.
Many results showed that the expected colours within a dance video would be a dark blue/black background within colourful red, yellow and orange spotlights to highlight the artists and dancers.
Many results showed that the expected colours within a dance video would be a dark blue/black background within colourful red, yellow and orange spotlights to highlight the artists and dancers.
The target audience see a music video as just to entertain but if there was a narrative they would expect the narrative to be based around love and relationship problems, possibly with the use of Todorov's theory.They expect to see a female artist associated with the dance genre, along with being able to relate themselves to the dominant characters within the music video.
The audience we are targeting feel that the album cover of a dance video is considerably important when buying an album and the album cover appeal to them in the way of attractive models, the gesture of the models and the layout of the album cover.
When asking the audience of the questionnaire which album covers they are most likely to purchase Clubland 15, Clubland 17 and David Guetta came out on top.
The reasons for choosing these album covers were because of the layout and model used. The ideology that the success to selling dance albums is to have a provocative woman placed on the cover, however the David Guetta challenges this as it a was very popular choice with the target audience because of its uniqueness and differentially.
Tuesday, 6 July 2010
Questionnaire
Questionnaire
What gender are you?
Male __ Female __
How old are you?
-18 __ 19-24 __ 25-31 __ 32-39 __ 40-49 __ 50+
Do you listen to music?
Yes __ No __
What do you consider your favourite music genre?
Rock __ Dance __ Pop __ RnB __ Indie __ Drum & Bass __ Other:_____________
How do you listen to your music?
Computer __ Radio __ MP3/Ipod __ Television __ CD __ Other:___________
How do you find out about upcoming music?
Television __ Posters/Flyers __ Internet __ Magazines __ Other: _________
What would you expect to see in a dance music video?
Dancers __ Nightclub __ Artists’/Band __ Children __ Other: __________
What stock settings would you expect to see within a dance music video?
Nightclub __ Bedroom __ Hotel Room __ Streets __ Playgrounds __ Other:________
What colours would you expect to see within a dance music video?
Black __ Blue __ Yellow __ Orange __ White __ Red __ Other:_______
Do you expect a music video to have a narrative or simply to entertain?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
How important is the album cover when considering purchasing an album?
Very Important __ Considerably Important __ Not very Important __ Not Important At All __
What gender are you?
Male __ Female __
How old are you?
-18 __ 19-24 __ 25-31 __ 32-39 __ 40-49 __ 50+
Do you listen to music?
Yes __ No __
What do you consider your favourite music genre?
Rock __ Dance __ Pop __ RnB __ Indie __ Drum & Bass __ Other:_____________
How do you listen to your music?
Computer __ Radio __ MP3/Ipod __ Television __ CD __ Other:___________
How do you find out about upcoming music?
Television __ Posters/Flyers __ Internet __ Magazines __ Other: _________
What would you expect to see in a dance music video?
Dancers __ Nightclub __ Artists’/Band __ Children __ Other: __________
What stock settings would you expect to see within a dance music video?
Nightclub __ Bedroom __ Hotel Room __ Streets __ Playgrounds __ Other:________
What colours would you expect to see within a dance music video?
Black __ Blue __ Yellow __ Orange __ White __ Red __ Other:_______
Do you expect a music video to have a narrative or simply to entertain?
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
How important is the album cover when considering purchasing an album?
Very Important __ Considerably Important __ Not very Important __ Not Important At All __
Group Analysis - Music videos and Album Covers
Music Videos
Stock Settings;
Throughout the music videos analysed, the stock settings that appeared multiple times were such as nightclubs, bedrooms which link to the theme and mood of the music, for example, a bedroom getting ready for a night out where you would listen to dance music.
Stock Characters;
Female dancers/artists who are slim, beautiful and dressed very provocatively with revealing clothing to entice the audience. This appears in a large amount of dance genre music videos, gaining the appeal of the audience.
Women are often represented as objects within the video and reinforce the dominant ideology of woman being objects for men. This is also reinforced by the constant use of extremely attractive females and not often attractive males.
Representation;
Creates a sense of realism towards the demographic audience as the setting of night clubs are where they are expected and do listen to this genre of music, allowing them to relate towards the music video.
The ages of the characters used within the videos are teenaged or young adult. This represents this age to be the target audience and suggest they are out drinking and partying all the time, as seen in the videos, reinforcing this stereotype of youth.
The use of the typical seductive woman used throughout the music video links to the fact that the dance genre of music tends to focus around the gender of women, but could appeal to males because of the provocative woman that tends to be the main focus within the frame throughout the video.
Technical Codes;
Lighting- use of dimly lit lighting to portray a night-time atmosphere, which links together with nightclub setting which features in multiple music videos researched. A Key light is also often used to highlight the artist and reinforce her importance. The videos also tend to use flashing lights or strobe lighting to create the nightclub feel.
Camera Shots- There is use of extreme close ups that shadow the identity of the dancer or artist to create enigma, which tends to be at the start of the music video. Medium and close up shots along with tracking is used to highlight the importance of the artist. A number of medium and long shots are also seen in the videos allowing the audience to clearly see the settings
The use of close ups of the dancer/artist throughout the video allows the audience to relate the audience. Long shots are also commonly used so the audience can visualise the setting and the dancer/artists and feel like they are in the dancer’s shoes and also allows the audience to relate towards the setting.
Editing- The editing of all the videos is very fast paced, showing this as a key convention. A number of jump and straight cuts being used to create a fast pace to the edits to match the beat of the song.
Costume- Use of provocative, revealing clothing upon the women within the music video reflects the type of clothing which would be worn to a nightclub, reinforcing the realism towards the audience.
Body movement and gesture- repetitive ‘dancing’ movements which fit to the pace and beat of the music are used to reinforce the atmosphere of the setting and portray as much realism as possible. Flirtatious dancing and ‘grinding’ are commonly used, along with the touching of other people to suggest the ‘nightclub’ atmosphere.
Narrative Theory;
When listening to the lyrics within most of the music video’s it would suggest that narrative theory such as Todorov’s theory could be easily applied. However, within the frame there doesn’t seem to be a clear Todorov’s theory, apart from in some cases where you are able to see the equilibrium, disequilibrium, realisation of the equilibrium, attempt to repair the equilibrium and the new equilibrium.
Album Covers
Enigma Code;
The artists/models used on the front cover of the albums covers do not engage in eye-contact with the audience which creates enigma as it portrays a sense of ambiguity and mystery towards the identity upon the album cover, drawing the target audience towards the album.
Font/Colour;
The use of a structured, bold title, normally placed within the middle of the album cover and in a large, capitalised font attracts the audience’s attention towards the name of the album.
Bright colours such as yellows, light blues and oranges are key to the dance album covers, as they create a happy atmosphere and giving an insight to the music and what mood it will portray towards the target audience.
Representation;
Similarly to the dance genre music videos, an attractive female is usually used on the cover of the dance genre albums. She is usually dressed provocatively and gives a sexy feel to the cover. This is seen as a key convention of this genre as it appeals to the target audience as the ‘youth’ age which is the demographic age can relate to the person on the front cover. Also, the gesture of the model is usually high energy giving the sense of them dancing and creating a happy atmosphere.
Appeal;
A lot of the models used are attractive, thin, big breasted blondes reinforcing the stereotype of an attractive female and the ideology of females being objects for males.
Medium close ups are often used to shoot the models. This allows the audience to see their emotions and their features, as well as highlighting their good appearance. The covers usually also include disco lights or strobe lighting within them, linking the cover to the nightclub scene.
The emotions portrayed by the models however often challenge the conventions of the dance genre. As this genre is seen to create a happy atmosphere and the emotions of the models are sometimes deep in thought and full of emotion. However this creates an in sight into the songs on the album as the emotions normally link with the narratives of these.
Stock Settings;
Throughout the music videos analysed, the stock settings that appeared multiple times were such as nightclubs, bedrooms which link to the theme and mood of the music, for example, a bedroom getting ready for a night out where you would listen to dance music.
Stock Characters;
Female dancers/artists who are slim, beautiful and dressed very provocatively with revealing clothing to entice the audience. This appears in a large amount of dance genre music videos, gaining the appeal of the audience.
Women are often represented as objects within the video and reinforce the dominant ideology of woman being objects for men. This is also reinforced by the constant use of extremely attractive females and not often attractive males.
Representation;
Creates a sense of realism towards the demographic audience as the setting of night clubs are where they are expected and do listen to this genre of music, allowing them to relate towards the music video.
The ages of the characters used within the videos are teenaged or young adult. This represents this age to be the target audience and suggest they are out drinking and partying all the time, as seen in the videos, reinforcing this stereotype of youth.
The use of the typical seductive woman used throughout the music video links to the fact that the dance genre of music tends to focus around the gender of women, but could appeal to males because of the provocative woman that tends to be the main focus within the frame throughout the video.
Technical Codes;
Lighting- use of dimly lit lighting to portray a night-time atmosphere, which links together with nightclub setting which features in multiple music videos researched. A Key light is also often used to highlight the artist and reinforce her importance. The videos also tend to use flashing lights or strobe lighting to create the nightclub feel.
Camera Shots- There is use of extreme close ups that shadow the identity of the dancer or artist to create enigma, which tends to be at the start of the music video. Medium and close up shots along with tracking is used to highlight the importance of the artist. A number of medium and long shots are also seen in the videos allowing the audience to clearly see the settings
The use of close ups of the dancer/artist throughout the video allows the audience to relate the audience. Long shots are also commonly used so the audience can visualise the setting and the dancer/artists and feel like they are in the dancer’s shoes and also allows the audience to relate towards the setting.
Editing- The editing of all the videos is very fast paced, showing this as a key convention. A number of jump and straight cuts being used to create a fast pace to the edits to match the beat of the song.
Costume- Use of provocative, revealing clothing upon the women within the music video reflects the type of clothing which would be worn to a nightclub, reinforcing the realism towards the audience.
Body movement and gesture- repetitive ‘dancing’ movements which fit to the pace and beat of the music are used to reinforce the atmosphere of the setting and portray as much realism as possible. Flirtatious dancing and ‘grinding’ are commonly used, along with the touching of other people to suggest the ‘nightclub’ atmosphere.
Narrative Theory;
When listening to the lyrics within most of the music video’s it would suggest that narrative theory such as Todorov’s theory could be easily applied. However, within the frame there doesn’t seem to be a clear Todorov’s theory, apart from in some cases where you are able to see the equilibrium, disequilibrium, realisation of the equilibrium, attempt to repair the equilibrium and the new equilibrium.
Album Covers
Enigma Code;
The artists/models used on the front cover of the albums covers do not engage in eye-contact with the audience which creates enigma as it portrays a sense of ambiguity and mystery towards the identity upon the album cover, drawing the target audience towards the album.
Font/Colour;
The use of a structured, bold title, normally placed within the middle of the album cover and in a large, capitalised font attracts the audience’s attention towards the name of the album.
Bright colours such as yellows, light blues and oranges are key to the dance album covers, as they create a happy atmosphere and giving an insight to the music and what mood it will portray towards the target audience.
Representation;
Similarly to the dance genre music videos, an attractive female is usually used on the cover of the dance genre albums. She is usually dressed provocatively and gives a sexy feel to the cover. This is seen as a key convention of this genre as it appeals to the target audience as the ‘youth’ age which is the demographic age can relate to the person on the front cover. Also, the gesture of the model is usually high energy giving the sense of them dancing and creating a happy atmosphere.
Appeal;
A lot of the models used are attractive, thin, big breasted blondes reinforcing the stereotype of an attractive female and the ideology of females being objects for males.
Medium close ups are often used to shoot the models. This allows the audience to see their emotions and their features, as well as highlighting their good appearance. The covers usually also include disco lights or strobe lighting within them, linking the cover to the nightclub scene.
The emotions portrayed by the models however often challenge the conventions of the dance genre. As this genre is seen to create a happy atmosphere and the emotions of the models are sometimes deep in thought and full of emotion. However this creates an in sight into the songs on the album as the emotions normally link with the narratives of these.
Tuesday, 29 June 2010
Research of CD covers, 'Ministry of sound', 'The annual 2008'
'Ministry of sound' is a very well known label for dance music. This means that the font hasn't been made to stand out like it conventionly would on other dance CD covers as the logo is easily regognisable to those interested in the genre. This could be a profitable aspect for the label as audiences will trust what contents will be on the album or it could be unprofitable as new customers aren't drawn in by the title.The images of the three young, attractive girls works well as this could appeal to men and women. The idea that the girls are all dancing, smiling and enjoying themselves could allow women to believe that this is what they could feel when they listen to the music and could also allow them to believe they are youthful for listening to it. It could attract men as they could be drawn to the CD because they are interested in looking at the attractive girls.
The colours used on the
Research of CD covers, 'Love to club'
The font used on this CD cover, like the others I have analysed is also square. The font is bold which allows it to stand out to it's target audience. The use of a square font makes it fit in with the typical conventions of a dance CD cover. It looks exciting and sends a loud message which is what dance music attempts to convey and makes the audience feel lively and ready to listen to upbeat, exciting music.The colours used are very bright and, like the font, they send a lively feel to the CD and provoke a happy and lively audience that show an interest in the genre. The CD may appeal more to women as a lot of pink and purple is used which are stereotypically thought of to be 'girly' or feminine.
The lighting used connotes a night club atmosphere as they are coming from different angles like the lights used in a night club coming from disco lights. This links in with the genre and makes the audience more aware of the genre.
The title of the album also makes the audience aware of the genre as clubbing music can be categorised as dance music, which audiences who like the genre will be aware of.
The image of the heart-shaped disco ball links in well with the title as the heart connotes love and the idea of it being a disco ball connotes dance. This will stand out to the audience and be recognised for what it stands for as it is a clear connotation.
The format of the cover is used well as the title and the image are in placed in the middle which means they'll stand out to its target market and grasp more interest.
Research of CD covers, 'Cascada', 'Evacuate the dance floor'
The font used for the title of the artist on this album cover is large, square and thin. The square-like style of the font is a typical convention used on dance album covers. It allows the audience to recognise the genre and because it is large it stands out and creates an exciting tone, which links in the type of music. The thinness of the font gives it a more feminine feel, where as male artists who sing dance music tend to use a bolder font. This could suggest that the artist is appealing more to a female audience.The use of colour in the background is a purple/pink. This colour is portrayed as a feminine colour which could also suggest the album is aimed more at women. The colour isn't that bright or lively which challenges the typical convention used on a lot of other dance CD covers, the colours used give off a more relaxed, feminine approach to the album.
The artist takes up most of the cover which allows audience to recognise the album as they are familiar with the artists face. A close up of her has been used to not only make her stand out but to exaggerate her facial expression. She looks as though she is screaming with excitement. This facial expression links in with the exciting, upbeat feel to dance music and allows the audience to get a feel of what the music on the CD will be like.
The lighting has been used effectively and also exaggerates the artists facial expression. A key light has been placed directly in front her, she has raised her hand as if she is blocking it as it is so bright.
Research of CD covers, 'Bass Hunter', 'Now your gone'
This CD cover gives off the feel off a dance genre. It uses conventions that are seen in many other CD covers.For example, it uses a square, bold font. This font could be described as loud and exciting which can also be applied to dance music so people are quick to recognise it when they see it. By using the colour white the title of the artist stands out a lot to the dark background and is notifiable to the audience.
The title of the album is in a smaller font, this allows the audience to see the album and pay more attention to it by looking at the artists name as they are more likely to be familiar with the artist than the title of the album.
The colour scheme is very eye catching and the use of green and black is a good scheme to choose as these colours are used in many dance music videos and CD covers. They stand out as bright colours which links in with the whole lively theme of dance music. There are circle patterns in the colours, this makes it appear as if they are colours coming from disco lights which connotes dancing (which links in with the dance genre).
About 80% of the CD cover is taken by an image of the artist. This, much like the title, allows the audience to become familiar to the album cover and pay more attention to it. The artist is placed facing straight forward in a close up shot. He has no expression in his face and seems to be looking quite serious, considering all the other conventions used and what they connote, this challenges the conventions of the genre. Instead of the artist looking lively, a more serious approach intrigues the audience as they don't know what to expect.
The use of lighting coming from different directions with colour connotes a night club atmosphere which connotes the genre. The lighting hits of the artists jacket but not his face, this adds to the lack of emotion in the artist.
The format of the album is very simple although if audiences were to look at it they would more than likely be able to tell it was a dance album as it meets some of the key conventions used in aspects of the genre.
Saturday, 19 June 2010
Research of Music Videos
Music videos for the dance genre all share a lot of the same conventions. They are very typically made under the genre and its very easy for audiences to tell if they're watching a music video for a dance/clubbing song. The videos I analysed were Eric Prydz-Call on me, Fedde Le Grande-Put you're hands up for Detroit, Usher-OMG, Joey Negro-Make a move on me and Sash-Raindrops.
One of the main aspects noticed when watching the music videos is the use of females. There are a lot of very attractive women dressed in barely anything. In every video the women don't necessarily have leading parts in the videos they are just seen most the time and are always seen dancing. This could suggest that the genre is more aimed at males, although one could argue that the women in the videos tend to dominate the men therefore the genre could also appeal to women.
A lot of dance music is played in gyms and other places of fitness. The genre is seen to motivate people when in he situation of doing exercise. This is shown in the video for 'call on me'. The video is about a group of attractive girls who go in to a gym for a work out in their gym clothes (that are sexually appealing) and they're joined by an unattractive male who is taken back by the girls and can't stop staring at them. This idea for a video is clever as it is almost a connotation of the genre.
One of the main aspects noticed when watching the music videos is the use of females. There are a lot of very attractive women dressed in barely anything. In every video the women don't necessarily have leading parts in the videos they are just seen most the time and are always seen dancing. This could suggest that the genre is more aimed at males, although one could argue that the women in the videos tend to dominate the men therefore the genre could also appeal to women.
A lot of dance music is played in gyms and other places of fitness. The genre is seen to motivate people when in he situation of doing exercise. This is shown in the video for 'call on me'. The video is about a group of attractive girls who go in to a gym for a work out in their gym clothes (that are sexually appealing) and they're joined by an unattractive male who is taken back by the girls and can't stop staring at them. This idea for a video is clever as it is almost a connotation of the genre.
Research of CD covers.
I have done five different anaylsis bullet pointing the key coventions used. Each show similar conventions and they all seem to fit the typical ideas of what a CD cover under the chosen genre should look like.
The CDs I analysed were 'Basshunter'-'Now You're Gone', 'Cascada'-'Evacuate the Dancefloor', 'Love2Club', 'Ministry of Sound'-'Electro House Sessions' and finally 'Ministy of Sound'-'The Annual 2008'.
All the fonts used on the CD covers are bold and have an almost 'techno' feel to them. This re-enforces the CDs genre as this type of techno, square font used is what people regognise and would most likely link to the genre.
Another convention the CD covers share is the use of bright colours. This is also a way audiences can regognise the genre as it is something used not only on many CD covers but on advertisements made for dance music and in dance music videos. This could be seen as a way of bringing the genre to life. The use of bright colours could possibly make the audience feel happy and lively, which could create a mood in which they would want to listen to the music and follow what the genre means.
Artists such as Basshunter and Cascada who specify in dance music have slightly different CD covers. As they are the only artists featuring on the CD they have more of a role on the CD cover. The artists both take up more than 70% of the CD cover which makes them stand out more as an artist, their faces are regognised and well known so audiences will pay more attention to the CD so it has a better chance of becoming more profitable. A close up is used of their faces and they are both attractive artists which also means audiences may pay more attention to them.
The 'Love2Club' CD cover uses the most bright colours and it also uses images to connote the genre. There is a picture of a heart shaped disco ball placed behind the CD title. This is used to express the genre and grab audiences attention.
The reason being for my choices to use two different CD covers from the same label, 'Ministry of Sound', is that both covers share some of the same conventions although 'The Annual 2008' CD uses more images that are also a regognisable convention known to be part of the dance genre. The cover uses images of 3 young, attractive girls. The girls are wearing clothes that would appeal to males, which again grabs the audiences attention. The use of attractive young girls dressed perogitively is also a convetion used in the dance music industry and has become a regognisable factor when it comes to the genre.
Over all I believe my research on the 5 different covers has enabled me to gain a good and thorough understanding of what is expected to be seen on a Dance CD cover and will come in excellent use when it comes to the designing of our CD cover.
The CDs I analysed were 'Basshunter'-'Now You're Gone', 'Cascada'-'Evacuate the Dancefloor', 'Love2Club', 'Ministry of Sound'-'Electro House Sessions' and finally 'Ministy of Sound'-'The Annual 2008'.
All the fonts used on the CD covers are bold and have an almost 'techno' feel to them. This re-enforces the CDs genre as this type of techno, square font used is what people regognise and would most likely link to the genre.
Another convention the CD covers share is the use of bright colours. This is also a way audiences can regognise the genre as it is something used not only on many CD covers but on advertisements made for dance music and in dance music videos. This could be seen as a way of bringing the genre to life. The use of bright colours could possibly make the audience feel happy and lively, which could create a mood in which they would want to listen to the music and follow what the genre means.
Artists such as Basshunter and Cascada who specify in dance music have slightly different CD covers. As they are the only artists featuring on the CD they have more of a role on the CD cover. The artists both take up more than 70% of the CD cover which makes them stand out more as an artist, their faces are regognised and well known so audiences will pay more attention to the CD so it has a better chance of becoming more profitable. A close up is used of their faces and they are both attractive artists which also means audiences may pay more attention to them.
The 'Love2Club' CD cover uses the most bright colours and it also uses images to connote the genre. There is a picture of a heart shaped disco ball placed behind the CD title. This is used to express the genre and grab audiences attention.
The reason being for my choices to use two different CD covers from the same label, 'Ministry of Sound', is that both covers share some of the same conventions although 'The Annual 2008' CD uses more images that are also a regognisable convention known to be part of the dance genre. The cover uses images of 3 young, attractive girls. The girls are wearing clothes that would appeal to males, which again grabs the audiences attention. The use of attractive young girls dressed perogitively is also a convetion used in the dance music industry and has become a regognisable factor when it comes to the genre.
Over all I believe my research on the 5 different covers has enabled me to gain a good and thorough understanding of what is expected to be seen on a Dance CD cover and will come in excellent use when it comes to the designing of our CD cover.
Thursday, 17 June 2010
Genre
There are four people in our media group, these people are Amy Link, Joshua Brazier, Jennifer Cullotty and I. We have decided that we want to create a music video to the music under the genre of 'dance'. This means we are able to create an up-beat video which is something we would like to do. The group are all now focusing on doing lots of research about the genre. This includes researching five different CD covers, music videos and advertisements all under the chosen genre. We will also need to do research on our target audience and the different institutions such as the music industry, music channels and music magazines.
After carrying out this research we will be able to begin planning our music video to fit the correct codes and conventions of typical dance music videos, on the other hand we could challenge the codes and conventions and create something different.
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