Final Music Video: Paramore - Misery Business

Here is our finished music video for our G324 Advanced Production project.

Artist

 Paramore

Song

 Misery Business

Cast

Georgina Kerwin: Singer

Paul Healey: Guitarist

Alex Wood: Drums

Joanna Sibley: Narrative actress

Evaluation: 4) How did you use new technologies in the construction, research, planning and evaluation stages?

Throughout the duration of my advanced production, there has been a heavy presence of the use of new media technologies in order to ensure high quality creative control, as well as in depth analysis of existing media texts and research which all led to the creation of a complete music video along with promotional material. To create a creative and dynamic music video, new technologies have to be used in full force in order to get the most out of human creativity; this is why I made a point of using industry standard software in every aspect of this project.

Research

Research to any project is a crucial and fundamental starting point which then structures the project for the longevity of the production, this is where I found using new media technologies hugely effective in relation to the free and instant access to numerous sources found on the internet which proved to inform and inspire me. Throughout the project, I have had to carry out extensive research on a number of different things ranging from Adobe Premiere Pro tutorials and advice to genre specific record sales and the new media technology I have used consistently would be the internet. A wealth of information can be found exclusively online which can be found via search engines. Examples of some of the search engines that were used in order to help in research were Google, Yahoo and Ask.com.

YouTube.com is a video sharing website which enables users to upload and view videos that have been uploaded, the website has become a huge phenomenon over recent years and is a regularly visited page daily for music videos and tutorials. This became a huge research source within the project, which I visited to gain inspiration from. The website enabled me to search for music videos within the Pop/Rock genre and identify common conventions that apply to music videos in that genre. YouTube allows for bands to create their own channels and use this is a platform to showcase their music videos, baring this in my mind, I regularly looked for new updates coming from Paramores channel and the existing music videos posted by them to understand and get inspiration from their music video style.

Video: Official video for Paramore - Misery Business

For the vast majority of the time, I conducted the research stages through my laptop or the school computer. As well as this, I have used new media technologies such as USB, iTunes, TV and computers throughout the research stages.


Planning


In order to ensure that our group work has been arranged and scheduled efficiently, we felt it was neccessary to keep up to date via Facebook and Skype which all group members frequently use. This new media technology is a common media social networking platform that I and my group were all comfortable in dealing with, therefore we felt it was the best way in communicating.


At the start of the project, knowing that this project would be doccumented in a blog format, I thought that Microsoft Word would then become redundant. This was however not the case, as I realised how heavily we rely on it for the  planning and scheduling of tasks. Our production schedules and doccumentation of research, location scouting, casts, costume, style guides were all created in Microsoft Word.


In the beginning stages of our project we pitched our music video idea to our media teachers which was then filmed, we used the new media technology such as video equipment and Adobe Premiere Pro to doccument this. By videoing the pitch, it enabled us to see where we were going wrong ourselves and what we needed to improve on in the planning stage.


Construction


In the construction stages of my advanced production new media technologies were used frequently. These included industry standard software such as: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Premiere Pro, and InDesign.


Adobe Photoshop was mainly used when I was in the production stages of my ancillary tasks, I mainly used this software to edit photography I had taken of the band to use in my ancillary tasks. I also created my magazine advertisement and tour poster in Adobe Photoshop which saw me tackle the confusing matter of layers and masks, with most things, the more you use it and play around with it, the better you become at it, this was the case. I developed hugely in my ancillary tasks in terms of my layout creativity, as I found out how to group layers and more technicalities, it then progressed and enhanced my work further. I also used the Adobe software; InDesign, which was what I used to create my digi-pak on.


Adobe Premiere Pro was the chosen media software to edit and construct the music video with, which at first was daunting as most of the group had little experience with the software, however from trials and practises we were able to develop and enhance our knowledge and confidence in the programme which led us to explore more effects that we could use to edit the video with.

All video material featured in the music video was shot on a Canon 500D SLR camera which enabled us high quality filming throughout the project. For all other video blogs and videos we used the schools handheld HD camera. All photography used in my ancillary tasks were taken on a Canon 500D camera also. Other photos that were taken for location scouting etc, were taken on and iPhone camera. The process of uploading these photos onto my laptop was easy and straightforward, through inserting the SD card straight into the laptop.

Evaluation

To evaluate our product we took videos on a HD camera from the school to record audience feedback from peers and friends which we then uploaded onto our blogs (see creative arts evening blog post). We also used Facebook, a social networking website to evaluate our finished product of our music video which allowed peers to comment and give a response. The now huge presence of social networking amongst our target audience provided us with a huge platform for people to openly express their views and responses to our video.

Evaluation: 3) What have you learned from your audience feedback?

Throughout the duration of this project, I have regularly obtained audience feedback which has enabled me to progress within the development of the project. The narrative of the Misery Business music video was one specific area that needed development, in which audience feedback helped with substantially. The feedback in the form of group discussions, teacher reviews and input helped us develop the narrative. The first video idea basically saw the band playing the song with instruments and ‘rocking out’, a plain and simple idea in which we thought would be effective as seen in research from other music videos in the genre, however this was not the case. When we shot the video and edited the footage to a final edit, as a group we weren’t happy with the outcome. The mise-en-scene of the whole location seemed wrong, the styling of the characters and the persona of the characters in the band didn’t fit quite right. When we finished the edit of the first narrative, we showed it to friends, family, teachers and peers in our school whom all believed that we could produce something more creative and captivating than the original idea.

This was the first edit that was created at the beginning of the project which was shown to our peers, teachers, family and friends. From the feedback gained, we knew as a group that this idea just didn't work for a multiple of reasons; bad lighting, wrong location, bad styling, bad lip syncing, lack of variety in camera angles. The overall mise-en-scene of the video didn't make sense for the genre in which the song is categorised under. Therefore, we re-grouped and thought of a new idea which was when we thought of the 'travelling' narrative, then further progressed from there to our final narrative of the 'crazy stalker' idea. From audience feedback, we were able to change and fine tune our ideas for our music video in order to create something to the best of our abilities as collective group.

Video: First music video draft

The audience feedback that was gained at the different stages of progression in the narrative taught me to be bold creatively and push challenging concepts that were seen as to be out of our groups comfort zone. The final narrative idea that we chose came after much deliberation and development, however, I believe that through this we were able to create something unusual and interesting by engaging audiences through the concept of 'Reception Theory'. Reception theory believes that the interpretation of the text by the reader can be interpreted differently based on the readers individual life experiences and cultural background. This was proven to be the case in the response that was given in our audience feedback sheets that we constructed and gave out to pupils in school. Some audience members noted how they perceived the 'stalker' character; Joanna as the singers alter-ego and others simply noted that she was an evil jealous stalker.

From finishing the final music video, the audience feedback we gained from the students and parents at the creative arts evening made me feel proud of what we had achieved as a group. From the evening, I learnt from the feedback obtained, that we had entertained our intended target teen audience through the construction of the mise-en-scene of the video.

Another element where audience feedback has proven to be successful, is when showing the video to peers, it was suggested by someone to change the transition from a dip to white to a crossfade to show the interlinking of relationships between the crazy fan and the singer. The change was amended, and we believed that this worked better.

Overall, I believe that audience feedback has played a vital key role within the development of my advanced portfolio. I have come to understand that without the help and feedback of others especially those conforming to the targeted audience, my work wouldn't have progressed and developed in the same path that it took. Having others critique and evaluate your own creation makes you aware of flaws in your work that you were not aware of. It's made me learn an important lesson, to utilise others opinions and critique to improve and progress in creation of media texts.

Evaluation: 2) How effective is the combination of your main and ancillary texts?

I wanted to maintain a constistancy within my ancillary products as well as in my main text and make them work together in their own brand identity for the band. As well as this, I wanted to maintain a consistency within the group I was working with, this is why we all created and agreed on a style guide to work from which you can see in this blog post here. I created a magazine advertisement advertising the release of the bands new ablum, a tour poster and a digi-pak of the bands tour. The main things that I had to consider whilst in the production of my ancillary texts was the use of the same logo throughout all products, continuation of colours and image styles.

For the photography of the ancillary texts, we used a location which was grubby and industrial which suited the genre of the music video perfectly which then created a strong sense of mise-en-scene for the rock genre. The same location was used for our music video, therefore the consistency of location in the two different texts link the combined texts together.

In my ancillary products, I chose the colour scheme to compliment the band logo and the music video. The picture above shows some print screens of our video, and you can tell from them that they have a warm hue to the shots, I tried to incorporate this into my ancillary texts, making the hue of the products quite warm and glowing with a rock edge by incorporating the blacks and greys.

Both individual texts incorporate motifs separately yet work well together in unison, the main theme within the main text is the TV and split screen motif, whereas in my ancillary texts, the main motif is the polaroid images. The combination of these two motifs across two different media platforms work well, as the polaroid images in my magazine advertisement is similair to the split screens in my main production, proving a synergetic relationship.

I believe the three seperate ancillary texts created work well in unison to create a strong brand image for the band; Paramore. The consistent use of colour, font and motifs as well as following the forms and conventions of that specific type of text prove to create a combined powerful package. The continuation of styles, especially through images and the use of polaroids prove to be an attractive feature for the targeted audience we were trying to attract.

Evaluation: 1) In what ways does your media product use, develop or challenge forms and conventions of real media products?

The majority of media products are created in established and repeated ways which then tranform themselves as recognised forms and conventions to specific areas of media text, e.g TV sit-coms often run for 30 minutes with a circular narrative. It was important when in construction of my media products that I referred to these forms and conventions within existing media products and translate that for myself for my own creation. Within this blog post, I will evaluate the way in which I have used, devloped and challenged forms and conventions of real media products in my advanced production

I have applied the use of a consistent font and colour scheme across all of my ancillary products.  When researching real media products in the beginning stages of my production, it was a clear convention of bands to have almost their own 'band' identity which can be easily identifiable to fans and audiences through the design of their media texts. This was a convention that I didn't want to subvert to, therefore I have applied the usage of a consistent colour scheme or a burnt yellow, grey, white, black and burnt red/burgudny. This allows my products to be easily identifiable and linked to the band. The ancillary products colour scheme is then further linked to my main task advanced production; the music video. The music video features warm hue colours similair to the colours featured in my ancillary products, further following the conventions of a consistent colour scheme often seen in real media products. This is shown by the print screens of some of the shots within the music video to the right which show the visible yellow warm tones also featured in the ancillary products. The use of consistency was identified through existing Paramore media texts such as their official music video for Misery Business as well as album artwork for the Riot! album and photography. I have demonstrated in the picture below how they have consistently used the same fonts and colour scheme which becomes the brand identity. Similarly, I have also produced this within my work, producing both ancillary and main tasks as one brand identity, linking them via the consistent use of font, colour and logo.

In my research of tour posters and advertisements of bands in magazines, I noticed how they include their websites and social networking links. The presence of social networking amongst the young teen generation is highly prominent, therefore I felt it was important to conform to this common convention found in real media texts. As seen in the picture above of my magazine advertisment, I have included a strip which states the bands official website as well as their official Facebook and Twitter links. This further advertises the band to a wider audience via the social networking hub.

I have followed the conventions of using motifs within my media products which I noticed was prominent in the work of official Paramore work. A motif is a dominant theme which reccurs throughout the a specific text. This was seen in Paramore by the consistent use of the motif of  'Riot!' in their work. Similarly, I have used a motif within my ancillary products, by using a polaroid theme in my photography to add a distinguished and creative design for my teen audience. I have used the motif in my magazine advertisement to captivate my teen audience as well as using it in my DVD digi-pak which features many polaroids of shot

In my ancillary products, I have applied elements of gaze theory through my photography I have taken. Through the use of gaze theory, it enables a wider audience to identify with the product through the visual attractiveness of the band. The three band members are visually attractive in which people are drawn too, equally gaze theory enables both genders to appreciate the beauty of their own gender. For example, girls want to look like the female main singer and men also identify by finding her attractive, and the same for men aspiring to be like the male members in the band and the females finding the males attractive. I have applied this theory subtly, as through the genre of rock/pop it would subvert conventions by being overtly sexual in their appearance. This can be seen through the costumes that the band members are wearing, the female singer is clothed in denim shorts and tights, subtly showing her phsyique in a way that is conventional to the rock/pop genre. Therefore, by subtly using gaze threory it conforms to the conventions of the rock/pop genre especially in the type of video we were creating.

At the beginning of the project, we subverted conventions within the rock genre. In the first attempt of filming, the band consisted of one main female vocalist, one male guitairist and one female drummer. The roles of the individual band members subverted the traditional conventional rock band line up which almost always features a female vocalist and all male instumentalists. Through this first attempt, we decided to cast a new male drummer whom fitted the rock genre conventions. I believe that through following the conventions of the band line up commonly seen within the rock genre, it made the mise-en-scene of the music video more genre specific through the extra cast members persona and costume. The final cast of the band are as follows: Georgina Kerwin = Lead singer, Paul Healey = Guitairst and Alex Wood = Drummer.

Final band cast

Further following the conventions of real media texts, we applied the use of 'motifs' throughout our music video. We included a recurrent theme of split screens which allow multiple shots to be shown in one screen. Although, this follows the codes and conventions of real media texts by the use of motif, we found in research that split screens weren't a common occurence, so this could be argued that we subverted the conventions of real media texts. To portray the 'stalker' character Joanna further, we used several editing techniques to create a TV theme throughout. The timecode at the beginning resembles that of a CCTV camera as if the character is being watched, following that the shot shows Joanna watched on multi screens similair to CCTV recordings. A grain was used over the shots to futher portray an unsettling atmosphere which looked like the videos had been shot by a home camera. To tie the motif altogether, at the end of the video there is a still image of the no signal card which is displayed on TV's when no reception is being recieved. The portrayal of the narrative character; Joanna, is mainly portrayed through the use of motifs through the video, as we further added the motif of flames in the video. This enabled the audience to identify that the character is 'evil' and dangerous.

In the narrative of the music video, we have applied some of the aspects of Vladimir Propps character functions theory. Through the video it is clearly recognisable that Joanna (stalker character) is a negative character within the narrative and the main singer (Georgina) is a positive character. Therefore, Joanna is portrayed to be the villain, and Georgina the hero, this underlying structure can be seen in much of today's media output where you see the struggle between good versus evil. The idea of a struggle between 'good' and 'evil' or opposition being central to narrative has been highlighted by Claude Levi Strauss who identigies the importance of 'binary oppositions' in orgranising a narrative. The use of binary opposition constructs two characters in the audiences mind along with the stereotypical portrayal of the archetypal character types.  Demonstrating this, I have created a table showing how we have portrayed the two characters throughout the music video using binary oppostions.

The narrative in our music video could be taken in a multitude of different ways making it polysemic. This follows reception theory which is based on the idea tha no text has one single meaning. The way in which we interpret a text's meaning is dependent on factors such as upbringing, age, frame of reference, location, the mood we are in etc. Reception theorists suggests factors such as gender, social studies, and social context are very important when we construct a meaning for a text. In relation to the narrative we have created, I believe you could see the stalker character as an alter-ego of the main singer or simply see her as a crazed fan of Paramore.

 The camera shots we have included in the music video have ranged, but we have mainly followed the conventions seen in existing texts in our genre. We have incorporated close ups of the singers, close ups of instruments, wide shots, two shots, rule of thirds. Below, are examples of the shots we have used.

Evaluation: Creative arts evening

On the 20th March, our school held a creative arts evening which showcased exclusively the work that current A level students had created in both lower and upper years. The evening featured dance & drama performances, a fine art and photography exhibition, musical interludes, a catwalk fashion show by the Textiles Department and the premiere of the Y13 music videos/film trailers. The evening gave us a golden opportunity to showcase our final music video and gain audience feedback and critique.

The evening was a huge success, with many parents and pupils happily congratulating Trinity A level students on their work. We asked people for feedback on our music video, and these are some of the responses we gained:

Development: Final music narrative (CRAZY STALKER FAN)

Here is the rush edit of our final narrative that we have created. Through much deliberation, re-drafting and audience feedback, we feel that we have found a winner! At long last it has seemed, we are happy with the narrative structure.

We have chosen to leave our narrative open ended enabling the audience to create their own interpretation of the text as well as ending. This means our text is seen as polysemic, following the reception theory which notes how no text has one single meaning, the way in which we interpret a text is dependent on factors such as upbringing, age and frame of reference as well as other factors. This allows for a wider reading from different audiences, whom will be intrigued by the narrative polysemic meanings.

I believe that we have portrayed the narrative of the music video in a visually appealing and creative manner in order to capture our crucial teen target audience whom are known to seek the most innovative and 'cool' things, therefore by creating something visually 'cool' and 'trendy' we hope to be targeting our intended audience.

The narrative losely plots itself around the main singer and crazed stalker fan. The stalker has a fascination with the main singer and this portrayed through the obscene amount of cut out photos plastered across the walls, hallucinations of the main singer and her, a doll looking exactly like the singer and the burning of the photos. The narrative throughout the music video see's the crazed stalker going through different mental stages in which there comes to climax at the height of the song where you see her going crazy in a room.