"What makes postmodern media different to other medias"
Postmodern media differs from other medias due to modern conventions, summed up this is shown by challenging reality. Postmodern media is mainly against other narratives such as love movies, this is related due to the film portraying that it is 'reality'. This can also be shown in the show 'Towie' - the show follows a group of friends as they perform their lives, the show is showing that the characters in 'Towie' are real and what they do is real. (Nothing is fake) This is also showing that it is reality and is normal in every day life, but the audience and myself know this from the knowledge of knowing that there is a use of cameras and it is on TV. Certain people will not act the same on a programme, but as said before the show 'towie' is trying to portray reality to the audience.
One major example of postmodern media being compared to other medias is the alienation of the media and audience of major artists, one example is Michael Jackson - in some aspects people think that they re-created his identities, overall this means that nothing is new anymore. (Nothing is original)
Simulation is also another section of postmodern media, simulation is widely used in film and reality TV, this is again mentioning that is it real life or is it just a simulation. One example of a simulation is in video games, in the game GTA the user can travel in a sand-box style game doing what they want.
This makes it into a simulation, the reason why is because in every day life a normal person couldn't repeat what they do in a video game. In films simulation is also used in certain films such as 'Tron Legacy' In the film the main character must travel into a game, the game simulates life but in different ways. This can be distorted into 'is this real life or just a simulation'.
Progress
The group are on task and focused on the video, we are progressing towards more recording. We are also on target with our blogger work and are working hard overall.
For our band we had to create drafts of album covers, with each draft the overall piece will improve. The album will be called 'Sad, sex and the Cat' - the album will be related to the band, band members and the band name. In my opinion I think that this album cover was not challenging to create and produce. Other member in the group called Scott is also producing a album cover, both covers will be posted onto the group blog for people to vote and decide which one is the best.
Here is my piece for the album cover 'Sad, sex and the Cat'
In todays lesson I had to decide which personality that I aimed at when working within the media group, I have chosen the colour Green. I have chosen this because I personally think that I have the qualities and knowledge to decide which one I am. Green is mainly focused around group work and working around the others in the group to help them within their work. The other partners in the group have chosen other colours, this is due to their personal choice and opinions.
After looking back at the videos that I had done over the summer holidays I have chosen to relate my song choice to Guns and Roses, November Rain. I have chosen this song because it symbols love and mixed emotions, this is perfect for my group blog because we have also chosen a song that is related to emotions and love.
When looking at November rain I can use similar conecepts and ideas to create my video, the reason why I will do this is because it has a similar style with the lyrics, video and the overall song. The song that I am doing within my group is The Fray, How to save a life. Overall I think that when looking back at November Rain I can relate to the group choice to get thoughts and ideas, this is good because if the group needs any ideas we can look at either this song or other songs related.
Carol Vernallis theory
Carol Vernallis theory explains that editing and camerawork is more frequent in music videos in film. She also said that it is often fitted with the rhythm/beat of the song.
.Editing in traditional fiction on TV follow the rules of continuity which music videos break in order to draw the viewers attention.
.Special effects such as wipes/movement and transitions are common in music videos and can be really obvious to observer when used.
.The short time limit of the music videos mean that the jump cuts the keeps the narrative of the video quick and short, but still interesting. For this reason jump cuts/editing and transitions are very popular within music videos.
.The camera can also move with the music so it fits in with the lyrics and video.
In the video below it is an example of music using various editing, the song also fits in with the edits and the song. In the song there is a beat the is in a rhythm with the edits/transitions, this is good because it keeps the music flowing and looks good when looking at the video.
Here is an example of a edit, in the top left it shows the scene that has just been on.
When designing my own video I will many different edits to make the video flow, I will look at many videos to get ideas and knowledge. I will take screenshots and images to keep them as evidence to look at when editing. I will look back on the videos and post work to get help when creating the final piece, it will give me the knowledge to also create future work.
Reflection, the lip syncing task in my opinion at first was difficult but near the end of the task it was easy. When recording the video to lip sync I had found it difficult, the reason why is because I had to sync in with the music so that if fits and looks normal to the sound of the music. After finishing the the lip sync I then had to edit the video within iMovie, in iMovie I had to include the original song and sync it in time with our voices in the video.
Screenshot of the editing software that we had used to create the video
Editing used
.iMovie intro
.Cut/Paste section
.Edit duration
Example of 'Learn to fly' music video
In the screenshot below are examples of video clips, these clips at this time would of been put through a series of editing so that it would connect to the other pieces - one main piece of editing that was used was the syncing up of the lips to the voices each piece of editing above was used to create the final piece.
Screenshot of the finished example, video is completed and is in sync
"Music videos ignore common narrative as they are essential advertisements. As consumers, we make up our own meaning of a song in our minds: a music video can anchor meaning and gives the record company/artist a method of anchoring meaning"
In my opinion I think that music videos have a complete similarity or a direct meaning/contrast to the lyrics used. Sometimes the video can be in pace with the lyrics and the sound, this makes it look like there is a common beat to the song. This adds emphasise to the lyrics/beat, the majority of bands have iconic looks and sound that makes them stand out from other bands, Two examples of this is the band Kiss, Kiss wear paint on their faces to make them look different and the represent their genre. The second example is the band AC/DC, AC/DC have iconic and recognisable music that anyone that is interested in the genre can recognise.
Music videos also contain close ups that focus on certain points of the person, they can be used to attract the audience and to gain their attention. Evidence of this can be found in the music video by Britney Spears 'My Prerogative'.
Semiotics - Signs and meanings
According to Morris, human action involves sings and meanings in three ways:
The perception stage - The person becomes aware of a sign
The manipulation stage - The person interprets the sign and decides how to respond to it
The consummation stage - The person responds
Denotation
Denotation refers to the literal meaning of a word, the "dictionary definition"
For example, if you look up the word snaked in a dictionary, you will discover the one of its denotative meanings is "any of numerous scaly, legless, sometimes venomous reptiles, having a long, tapering, cylindrical body and found in most tropical and temperate regions"
Connotation
Connotation, one the other hand, refers to the associations that are connected to a certain word or the emotional suggestions related to that word. The connotative meanings of a word exist together with the denotative meanings. The connotations for the word snake could include evil or danger.
I have chosen to do 'Metallica and JUSTICE FOR ALL'
Intertextuality definition - Using old pieces from a source and re-creating them in a different format, one example of this is the song Tupac Shakur using the song 'Mad Max beyond the thunder done. In the video it shows relevance to the original movie, dustbowl, gangs, wrecked cars and violence.
In the video below it shows the reference and the relevance between the two videos, the videos are in the same style with the clothing, setting and the overall quality. Both videos also have a twist, in the movie trailer it shows a full on action movie that contains violence and a well done story. But in the music video it has a sense of gangs and urban style that fits the singer.
History behind the cover - The main piece of history for the album 'Back in Black' is that it is dedicated to Bon Scott who had died on the 19th February 1980. At the time the band was thinking of disbanding but they continued on with encouragement from Bon Scott's parents.
Does it fit in with the band - In my opinion I think that the album cover does fit in with the band , I think this because of the style, colours and the overall quality of it. The main reason why is because it is suited towards the genre and the band, black colours, dark emotion and the style. Rock music is mainly dark, empty and has emotion. The cover uses dark colours, is aimed towards death and is empty (Only the titles).
Does it appeal to the target audience - I think that the album cover appeals to the target audience, I think this because it is dark and emotional. The majority of rock fans wear different clothes, live different life styles and live in similar ways. The music is the major part of the audience because they join together when listening.
Does it appeal to me / what it means to me - I think that the album only appeals to me through the songs, the reason why it does is because I listen to that genre and the band involved. This style of music is a part of me because it is the only style of music that I listen to.
Definition - An album cover is the front of the packaging of a commercially released audio recording product, or album.
History - The first album covers were printed in either brown paper or cardboard sleeves, they would be printed plane or sometimes with the bands name on the front. At first the covers didn't contain images due to the style of the print and the material, further on they became plastic with selected images and names on the front. In 1938 Columbia records hired Alex Steinweiss as the first art director for album covers, Alex started to create album covers for bands that had replaces the blank empty old covers.
Features - Alex's first album covers were 10" and 12" in size, an example of the covers and size is in the image above. From the 1950's to the 1980's album covers became major formats for the distribution and production of popular music. The most iconic album covers
In the pictures above is the most popular album covers that have ever been created, the album covers shown are also linked to the most popular artists of all time. Pink Floyd, Michael Jackson and the The Beatles. Each one has other successful album covers.
In the video below it shows the Lip syncing task that I had done with Joel Lampkin and Steven Brazier, the video shows us lip syncing the song. Foo fighters - learn to fly. (Error with video uploading to Blogger). I think that the overall lip syncing task was difficult at first, this was due to trying to keep in track with the music and the video. The longer the video had went on the easier it had become, I think this because I had gotten used to the sync and the video.
Overall the task was difficult to start with, but near the end it had gotten alot easier,while working with Joel and Steven it had also became a fun task to perform. It was fun because it was a new experience and was new to us.
The reason why I had chosen this song is because I have an interest in the band and also the songs, I think that this band has a separate style of music and lyrics. Both of these points help it stand out from the other rock bands. The song was produced by Robert John Mutt, robert has also worked with other bands such as Def leppard and Nickleback. Both of these bands have similar styles and music, emotion and choice of lyrics are the main point in these bands and their songs. The other examples of bands that he has worked with shows his skills and techniques, I think this because it shows his talent and how he works with the numerous bands.
The reason why I have chosen this song is because one of my favorite songs by GnR and the memorable video. The song and the video is produced by GnR and Mike Clink, Mike Clink has also worked with Motley Crue and Megadeath. Both of these bands have major similarities - examples of this can be with the band members, style of songs and videos and the producers involved.
The video tells the story of Axel Rose, the lead singer playing out a story of his love live. This is mainly shown by the emotion and lyrics used in the video, the main reason why it shows emotion is because of the love and death involved. Both of these aspects are also used in other GnR songs and other bands related to Mike Clink.
The majority of Metallica's videos contain dark and emotion, this is shown in their videos and in their style. I think this because of what happens in the videos and how it is shown towards the viewer. One example of this is the song 'One' - In this song it shows a wounded soldier slowly loosing his mind due to his injuries, this is a great example of their style of video and emotion involved. The producer of the video is Flemming Rasmussen, Flemming has done alot of work with Metallica, in each piece it shows his talents and style of producing similar work. Examples of his other work are.
.Ride the Lightning
.Master of Puppets
.And Justice for all
Each one of the examples above have similar styles.
The song that I have chosen below is directed by Rick Rubin, Rick has worked with other similar bands that also have similar music videos. Examples are Metallica, Linkin Park and Beastie boys. Each one of these bands have distinctive videos that suit their play style of music. The is shown in their videos, in most of the videos they tend to be dark, emotional and have a similar style. I think that even the bands have a similar style, each band that Rick has worked with works in a similar genre. This is good because he has the skill and knowledge to work well with the genres.
The main message of the video in my opinion is confusing and is weird, I think this because of what happens in the video and also the style of it. This is because of what happens, the band singing and dancing in a desert environment - something that is not normal in society today.
Pastiche
In todays lesson in groups we had to look at pastiche and parody, we we're given envelopes that contain links and information that we're for the main answer.
Pastiche - in my opinion I think that pastiche I think that it is a more serious style of Parody, I think this because of the style of the material and the material involved. One example of this is the music video, michael Jackson thriller - at the same time this video's purpose is to be a horror but in a sense it contains humour. This is because of the fake reality, dancing zombies is funny because it is something that is not saw everyday and is original to the audience. Another example of Pastiche would be the film 'Shaun of the Dead' - I have chosen this because it is similar to the music video, it is similar because it contains elements of zombies, horror and major comedy. All of these elements make it a perfect example of Pastiche.
"Speech in a dead language" - A language that anyone no longer understands, they do not notice it and it no longer exists.
"Displaces 'real' history" - removes the well known history in society and replaces with the real/unknown
Moulin Rouge is focused on love and drama, during the film there is slight aspects with comedy, one example is the clothes, actors and certain scenes - I have chosen this because the audience mainly focus on the drama/love aspect, but no one notices the comedy. The movie also contained new elements with the music, this shows that trends follow through from the past to the future.
Parody
Parody is mainly a joke, skit of media materials. One example of this is the movie Austin Powers and shaun of the dead, both of these films do not contain originality but they have many different aspects of other films. In the movie austin powers there are skits and jokes of films, this is for the audience so they can have relevance to the other parts. In the movie shaun of the dead it's main point is horror but during the film there is the aspect of comedy, cannot be taken serious. Austin powers and shaun of the dead loose their seriousness with the style of the film, this is due to the film itself.
Has relevance to many different aspects that relate to the original pieces - no originality.
Pink stupid girls - the video shows Pink trying to fit in by doing what the other women do, this is shown with a parody and comedy. With the parody it shows the aspect of culture and social with the style of women.
Madonna Frozen
The song 'Frozen' by Madonna was produced by Chris Cunningham, Chris in his early years had worked with short films. While producing short films he was asked to do work in music production. He had used his talents and skills to produce some of the most well known videos today. When starting work in the music business he had worked with Warp records. The first video that I had looked at that was produced by Chris cunningham was Madonna frozen, the second video that I will be looking will be by 'Aphex twins'. In my opinion I think that most of the videos that he will involved with are focused on one point. Horror, gothic, dark and deep emotion.
In his short movie career he had mainly produced dark films. Examples of these are Alien 3, Alien and Rubber Johnny. All of these films are aimed at a specific crowd, dark and twisted. He also shows this in his music videos, an example of this is in the two music videos, Madonna frozen and Aphex twins come to daddy. In the music videos they contain many different edits and cuts, but they are not shown in the video - this makes it look like it was simple and took no effort.
In the video above it shows Chris Cunningham's style, it shows the dark, creepy and emotional. The overall video is about the darkness and the emotion. This is shown by the children in the video, edits and the actors.
The video below is another example of Chris Cunningham's work, the video is Madonna Frozen. Again in the video it shows the dark and emotion that is involved with the producer. Chris Cunningham has a pattern that he follows when making videos.
Music and me in the class/comparison
In todays lesson I had found out many peoples different taste in music and their personal lives, this was shown by separate presentations. In each presentation every had shown three videos about their life, childhood, travelling and present day. The videos were also shown by a small speech about the videos and what they mean to the person. I had also found out different genres and bands that also associate with me and my personal life.
With the different music tastes I had found out that most of everyones music taste is to do with their childhood and interests in life, an example of this is my childhood song - I had chosen the song because I was influenced by my family!
Other student choices that are related to me
I have chosen John Masters to relate to in this work, I have chosen John because I can relate to his song choices. His choices for the songs are also related to me with their genre and song.
Sum 41
The Offspring
Metallica
Each one of the bands above I have an interest in with their songs, band and the overall genre.
http://chchsa2mediastudies.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/childhood-memory-and-current-music.html
This morning I had performed the 'lip syncing task', in the task I had to lip sync a song from the band 'Foo Fighters'. The song that I had lip synced with three others was Learn to fly, I had found this task challenging at the time. The reason why was because one member in my group was also dancing with the song, this was distracting and also humorous. The main part of this task was to lip sync the lyrics to the song whilst being recorded. There was also pressure from being filmed, any mistake is recorded.
Overall this task was difficult due to my first experience of doing a lip sync task, when doing future tasks around lip syncing I will be more confident and will have more experience in doing lip syncing tasks.
Simulation - Simulations generally come in three styles: live, virtual and constructive. A simulation also may be a combination of two or more styles.
Simulacra - Something that replaces reality with its representation. Jean Baudrillard in "The Precession of Simulacra"
Hyper reality -hyperrealityis generally defined as a condition in which what is real and what isfictionare blended together so that there is no clear distinction between where one ends and the other begins.
This is the main and first song that I had thought of when deciding for this section. When I was a child every day I would either listen to this song or other songs from the band. The band that I have linked below was one of the first bands that I had saw live.
Travelling When travelling either on a holiday or throughout my local area I would listen to this song or the band. The reason why is because of the lyrics and the style of the music. The song motivates anyone who is listening it to move and to go somewhere, it gives motivation to do something in life.
Now
Although this song is not recent I still enjoy listening to it, it makes me happy. The reason why is because of the style of the music and song.
Here is a link to a blog that is related to my music choices -
Instant impact - The main impact of this music video is the story of the band. The video shows the creation of the song and the bad itself, this gives the viewer a perspective of the band and the music video that they had created. The video is also a story on how the band act in their personal lives and during their job. Fans of the band will watch this video over and over again to get the bands backstory, they will do this because they are interested in the song and the band/band members.
Non-Linear editing - In the video it shows a series of cuts that go from the band in their personal life and the band performing the song for the video. This style of editing is used a lot in music videos, the reason why is because the aim of the video is to give viewers a perspective on the band on the songs/ what happens when they are not performing.
Example of a camera movement/angle - tracking shot.
Example of a 'fade' edit.
Repetitions - During this video there is variations with camera angles and edits, the main edit used is a fade, the edit fade is used a lot in this video. This shows that it is a repetitive and is a normal thing towards the viewers of the video. There is also certain camera angles, one example of this is when the camera switches to one of the band members, the camera tracks him with the basketball. The video shows the band in their personal life and the band in the studio, this happens many different times in the video - another example of repetition.
Strong sense of artist identity - The singers in the video have a deep and emotional identity in the video, they are using their talent and emotions to tell the people watching the video about themselves. This is again shown in the studio and in their personal lives. The performance that the band do is portrayed as hard rocking and emotional people, this is shown by the lyrics, song, video and the band members themselves. Their main tool of showing the viewers is the use of the instruments, when performing the song they use are wearing typical 'rocker' clothes. Leather jackets, and ripped jeans. This shows that they are part of the genre and the rocker community.
Visual pleasures - The quality of the video is poor, this is due to the quality of the recording systems and the quality of the cameras at the time. Even though the quality is not perfect it is suited towards the style of music. Gritty quality, dark and mysterious and emotional, this is suited towards the song and the video. This style of video is also original and new for the band, in past videos or songs the video quality is not gritty or mysterious. This attracts new audience and interest. The video also contains scenes of the band in the studio, this gives the viewers a look on how to band performs and what they do to produce music. This is one of the main visual pleasures for the viewers because they can see what goes into the music that they listen too.
Here is an example of the visual pleasure, it shows the recording equipment used (old)
Wow factor - The video has a unique wow factor, when watching the video it gives a sense of realism and emotion. The main reason why is because of the certain clips of their personal lives, it shows what they do and how to react in certain situations. This shows their emotion and lifestyle of what they do. My reaction from the video is that I am surprised, the reason why is because before this video I had no knowledge on how this band acted in their personal life and in the studio. After watching the video I am more surprised due to how they act.
Works on different levels - There is two main levels in this song, the first is the band and their lives. This level shows how they act - they act like a stereotypical 'rocker'. This helps anyone who is watching the video understand what the video is about. The main portions of the video is about the band in their lives, the viewers are mainly focused on the band and what they are doing. The second level is about the meaning of the song, the song is titled 'Nothing else Matters' - The song is telling everyone that nothing else matters in life, only this song.
Pop Culture - The video does now show any evidence of a pop culture, the song is aimed towards a certain culture and fan base. This is shown by the song itself and the instruments used.
1b) Analyse one of your coursework productions in relation to the concept of audience.
For my coursework I will be looking at the Genre 'Rock'. The genre rock will be related to the work to come. Each piece of work that I do create will be relevant, even in this piece. I have created a music Magazine that is relevant to the genre of my choice - Rock. Front cover, Contents page and a double page spread.
My target audience for my music Magazine is mainly people that have interests in the genre Rock and Magazines. The age range for my audience is people aged between 15-20. The reason why I have chosen this age range is because people at the certain range have disposable income, from parents or a job. The main gender for my music product is mainly Male, the reason why is because the Magazine appeals to the male crowd. Loud music, lyrics contain stuff relevant to the listeners and is suited towards them, male followers listen together with the same genre. The category for the Magazine and the audience is in E. The reason why is because the audience is mainly either in College, University or School. At this age the audience mainly have disposable income, this means that they can read about the information and find out what they want.
The images that are on my media product are related to the genre and the Magazine, the images are about people that represent the genre and the Magazine. This shows that those type of people live a certain lifestyle and live different ways. The lifestyle of the people is that they mainly go to gigs, have an interest in music and bands.
In A2 I will be looking at different genres of Music and what they represent, I will be doing research and development to help me create certain pieces of work in A2. I will be creating a poster, music video and an album cover. Each one of these will represent my choice of the music genre that I have chosen is the genre Rock, I will be creating the products while looking at professional ones. This will give thoughts on how I can represent the genre. In this blog you will find information that is related to my products that I will create.
One major example of postmodern media being compared to other medias is the alienation of the media and audience of major artists, one example is Michael Jackson - in some aspects people think that they re-created his identities, overall this means that nothing is new anymore. (Nothing is original)
