Lyric Analysis

Lyric Timings: A Day To Remember: This is the house that doubt built

Conventions of the Genre (A Day To Remember - Pop Punk, Metalcore & Post-hardcore)

The genre of my chosen band is a mix of pop punk, metalcore, and post-hardcore. Therefore, I have chosen to look at all three of them to understand the conventions of the particular genre.

A Day To Remember, My Chosen Song.

My chosen song is This Is The House That Doubt Built by the American rock band, A Day To Remember which is part of their fourth studio album 'What Separates Me From You'.  I chose this track due to the fact there is not an existing music video already released for this track, therefore it leaves me to interpret the lyrics in my own way without the influence of an existing music video for the particular track. I feel that the song is quite uplifting and motivational. I have interpreted the lyrics' meaning of saying that we should remember the good things we have in life and try to forget about the bad. Therefore, I will use film to illustrate this idea and reinforce the message portrayed through the lyrics.

Who are A Day To Remember? 

A Day To Remember were founded in 2003 by Tom Denney, a guitarist and Bobby Scruggs, a drummer. Today the band consists of vocalist Jeremy Mckinnon, backing vocalist and rhythm guitarist Neil Westfall, drummer Alex Shelnutt, lead guitarist Kevin Skaff and bassist Joshua Woodard.  Their music is known mainly for the mixture of metalcore and pop punk as a style of music and have been described as a fusion of 'emo, hardcore and metal'. A typical ADTR track usually consists of metalcore verses (e.g screamed vocals and heavy guitars) and more of a pop punk style chorus (e.g clean vocals).

They have released 5 studio albums:

•  'And Their Name was Treason' (2005)
• 'For Those Who Have Heart' (2007)
• 'Homesick' (2009)
• 'What Separates Me From You' (2010)
• 'Common Courtesy' (2013) 

History of Music Videos

The first music video - 1894

•        Music videos began well over a century ago with American electrician-slash-photographer George Thomas’ ‘Illustrated Song’. He was the first to pair images to music.

•        It was a series of still images printed onto some glass slides, they were coloured in by hand and projected onto a screen alongside a live musical performance.

•        This made song-book publishers Edward B. Marks and Joe Stern’s number, ‘The Little Lost Child’, a massive hit in 1894. 

Early music videos
                            Early music videos were named promotional films, for example, films of gigs.

        In the 1960’s, The Beatles used film to market their records and express themselves as artists. They starred in full length features such as ‘A Hard’s Day’s Night’.

       This particular video had a narrative, but some of the promotional clips which they recorded were composed of many psychedelic images.

        Many rock and roll bands of the late 1960s and 1970s followed their lead, where they released more sophisticated promotional films that shared the line-up with live performances on televised music variety shows. 

TV and music videos

       A significant event for music videos was the first British chart music television programme, BBC’s Top of the Pops which started on the 1^st January 1964.

        They began to show music videos in the late 1970s. However, they had a limit on how many they could show in favour of having the band in the studio.

•        It broadcasted weekly up until the 30^th July 2006.

•        Each weekly programme consisted of performances from some of that week’s best selling popular music artists, with a rundown of that week’s singles chart.

•        There was also a special edition programme on Christmas Day featuring some of the best-selling singles of the year. This special Christmas edition has still continued. 
In the 1990s, the show’s format was sold to several foreign broadcasters in the form of a franchise package.

 Various versions of the show were aired in nearly 100 countries.

Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen (1970s)

      It was only after the success of Bohemian Rhapsody’s promotional video, first released in 1975, that it became routine for record companies to record a music video for an artist’s single release.

     The video was produced so the band could avoid miming on Top of the Pops, as it would have been difficult to mime to such a complex song live.

   It has been said that the video has been ‘hailed’ as launching the age of MTV.

    It was recorded in just four hours to a budget of £4,500.#


Modern music videos (1980s)

     Michael Jackson’s thriller was released in 1983 costing $500,000. It lasted 14 minutes and is regularly referred to as the most influential music video of all time. He was the first artist to create the concept of the short film.
     MTV was launched in 1981. The first video shown on MTV was the Buggles ‘Video killed the Radio Star’.

     This video also allowed more Black American artists to get airtime on MTV.

     In 1985 MTV launched VH1 which featured ‘softer music’.
     Channel 4 also started to broadcast ‘The Chart Show’ in 1986 – this consisted of music videos entirely. 

Madonna - Vogue

This track was released on the 20th March 1990. The music video was unique as it showed Madonna paying homage to a number of golden era Hollywood actresses.
It is shot in black and white, and takes an inspiration from the 1920’s and 30’s.

It has been ranked as one of the greatest videos of all times in different polls, it has also won three different awards at the 1990 MTV Video music Awards.

The video used artwork by the art deco artist Tamara De Lempicka and an art deco set design as the theme was the 1920’s and 30’s.

Some of the close up shots used in the video recreate portraits of well known stars such as Marilyn Monroe, Greta Garbo, Katherine Hepburn and Jean Harlow.

In this video Madonna is seen wearing the famous ‘cone bra’. 

Lady Gaga - Bad Romance

      During the mid 2000’s YouTube was a major development, it affected the way a music video was marketed, as it can now be marketed virally.

     In 2010 Lady Gaga’s ‘Bad Romance’ became the most viewed video on YouTube for that year.

   Lady Gaga’s videos are significant as she introduced some unusual concepts which haven’t ever been done before. The idea of Bad Romance is that Gaga has been kidnapped by a group of models who then sell her off to the Russian mafia.

      In this video the ideas are particularly unusual and unique. For example, in one scene a bed with a male character on bursts into flames suddenly and Gaga sings quite sinisterly in front of the flames. Another example is towards the beginning of the video when she and other female dancers crawl out of pods which look similar to coffins. 

Textual Analysis 3

You Me At Six - Bite My Tongue

The genre represented in this video is again, punk rock. This is shown by the use of costume within the mise-en-scene as all band members are wearing dark clothing and have dark hair. An artist from outside the band, Oli Sykes from Bring Me The Horizon, who is featured in this track also has many visible tattoos which are a typical stereotypical element you would see on a rock singer. I can link this to Tessa Perkin's theory of stereotyping since I have perceived Oli Sykes in a certain way due to his tattoos. Throughout the video there are many quick cut edits, this represents and reflects the rock genre due to the volume and tempo of the music. The use of a handheld camera in the video links to the lyrics of the song 'I wanna hate every part of you with me, I can't hate the ones who make me'. This is because it shows the point of view of the band members who are performing the track in the video, since the lyrics symbolise anger and frustration.

The setting of the video is a dark recording studio where the band perform the track. A close up shot of the lead singer at the beginning of the video shows him looking directly into the camera which could suggest that the track is aimed at someone in particular. It cuts from this shot to close up shots of long thick black wires which are all tangled up, there are also close up shots that show his band members attached to these wires. These wires have negative connotations of control and could possibly suggest that the band is being controlled by the music. This video doesn't tell a structured story and the narrative is unclear, therefore it could be seen as an example of an abstract music video. However, this video does contain the conventional elements of performance by the members of the band with their instruments which you would normally see with a track belonging to the punk rock genre.

Oli Sykes is initially introduced by a close up tracking shot of his feet in the shadows, this shot  is brightly lit from the far right of the shot which could suggest that he is coming from the outside and shows that he doesn't belong to the band. This is also shown as he is always shot on his own and never with the lead singer or the other members of the band. After this tracking shot there is a mid shot of Oli Sykes which doesn't show his face, this has connotations of him being quite dark, mysterious and different. The lyrics could be talking to him as through the use of cinematography he is being shown as an antagonistic figure. Until he starts singing in the track, he is only shown through  tracking  or close up shots which show parts of him for a second at the most. This use of cinematography represents him as a mysterious figure.

Textual Analysis 2

Deaf Havana - Little White Lies

The genre of this video is punk rock. This is shown by the male lead singer's tattoos especially and the conventional shots of the band performing together with their instruments towards the climax of the video, for example, the electric guitars and the drum kit.  However, the use of costume doesn't represent the genre of the track fully as they are dressed to represent how people may dress in the 1980's.

This video has 3 main locations, the front room of a house, the street and a nightclub. The use of props in the front room show when the video was supposed to have been set, the 1980's. For example, the old fashioned computer, the Duran Duran posters and the old fashioned television set.  In a wide shot, they are wearing football t-shirts which creates verisimilitude for the audience, the male audience especially as this is an activity (football) that many men would have took part in in the 1980's and what many men still do now. The editing shows the singer surrounded by his friends who are cheering in slow motion, he is looking directly at the camera which shows that he is speaking directly to the audience and is oblivious of what is going on around him. The mid-close up shot of the television set with a beer bottle placed on top also shows that this is a male's house since a football game is shown on the television and a popular male drink with men is beer, this again creates verisimilitude for the audience and shows them something they can relate to. Therefore, this creates interest and appeals to a particular male demographic. These elements show Pam Cook's idea of 'The structure of the classic narrative system' as it states that the narrative should show a fictional world that contains verisimilitude especially governed by spacial and temporal coherence. The video creates a fictional word as it is set in the 1980's but creates verisimilitude as the use of props and performance tell a story which is real and has references to lifestyle habits that a member of the target audience can relate to.

As the music drops and the chorus begins, the editing becomes quicker and a handheld camera is used which reflects the feelings of the men in the video since they are holding beer and must be quite drunk and that they are also having a good time. The lyrics 'If I had any heart left, I'd give it all to you' links to these actions, as I have interpreted it as the singer has nothing left to give and just wants to relax and have fun.

This video tells a story which reinforces Tim O'Sullivan et al's theory of narrative and tells a story which many of the audience would be able to relate to. The group of men have watched a football game where the team they support have won, so they decide to go out and celebrate. Tim O'Sullivan et al's theory states that a media text must appear to be real for the audience to watch it (verisimilitude). Therefore, this typical storyline shows a story which many people who belong to the male demographic, in particular, will have experienced and will appeal to the audience as it tells this particular story.

A tracking shot is used to follow the group of men into the club. In this shot, depth of field is used to show the men in focus in relation to the queue of people that they pass on the way into the club. This could show that they think they are more important than everyone else, and could also reflect Deaf Havana's success as a rock band, since it symbolises that once you have gained fame and fortune you can earn these types of privileges. Laura Mulvey's theory of the Male Gaze is shown within this video as when a female character is shown in the club toilets, she has a male attached to her which could show how she is represented as a sexual object and not wanted for her personality. A further female character who is introduced is dancing in a way where she knows that the male eye is watching since she is surrounded by many men and women but she is doing this unconsciously (John Berger's theory of 'Ways of Seeing'). The use of lighting in the mid close up shot of this female character shows how she has caught the attention of the lead singer and that is what he is focusing on. She is dressed in shorts and a crop top which emphasises her curves which links back to Laura Mulvey's Male Gaze theory since she is being represented quite sexually and provocatively from the way she is dressed and the way she is dancing.

The editing when the the lead singer and the female meet shows them dancing in slow motion. Furthermore, the use of depth of field in these shots show the couple in focus and the rest of the people surrounding them out of focus, this symbolises how, they alone, are selfishly having a good time and do not care about everyone else in the room.

Textual Analysis 1

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 30 Seconds To Mars - Up In The Air

The genre represented in this music video is a mixture of rock and other genres. This is shown by the drum beat and guitar motif which is repeated throughout the song. However, there is also a constant pulsing beat in some parts of the track which could show that this track can be part of the dance genre. The use of costume in the mise-en-scene shows that they are a rock band as each member of the band have dark hair and are wearing dark items of clothing in the performance shots alone. This is what the audience would typically see when a rock band is performing.

The setting for a shot which is used at the beginning of the song is an abandoned warehouse which is filled with blue lighting, this links to the song title, 'Up in the air'. Tension is built up during the introduction of the video as the sound of the gradually quickening violins, along with the wide shots of the band members approaching their instruments builds drama and increases the anticipation for the band to start their performance. Each of the 3 shots are quite dark, with the shot of the lead singer there is a flashing bright light which has connotations of the sound of an alarm. The quick editing in the beginning shows the empty space within the initial location and makes the audience want to know what the video is going to be about. In the beginning, a tracking shot of a dog which looks of a similar breed to a wolf shows an abstract element within the narrative as it doesn't seem to have any link to the song at first. The use of props such as the pink bull, the hula hoop, the lion and the acrobats shows the circus theme, as well as the use of colour. For example, the colourful spotted background used on a mid shot of a female dancer. This array of colours used within the song could symbolise the different emotions that the track could trigger for the audience and what they can relate to.

When the music finally drops and the song starts the editing cuts from shot to shot of different parts of the music within milliseconds to create a memorable and interesting motif which triggers the start of the video. This is an example of an abstract video as the different props could symbolise almost anything. The use of text overlay for 3 different shots showing the words 'Love', 'Lust', 'Faith' and 'Dreams' show some of the themes which are portrayed within the music video. The knife behind the word 'Lust' could have negative connotations as it shows that people sometimes go to far as they are filled with lust and could end up stabbing someone close to them in the back. Furthermore, the burning star behind the word 'Faith' could symbolise the power behind a person's religions belief.

This video shows the typical conventions of a rock music video as it shows the band performing with their instruments. However, when they are playing their instruments they are usually shot on their own without the other members of the band. The appearance of the American burlesque dancer 'Dita Von teese' shows the elements of Laura Mulvey's theory of 'The Male Gaze' as the camera emphasises her body with high angle shots of her being spun around on the pink bull wearing minimal clothing. This shows the fact she is self aware of the male eye watching her. A mid shot of her shows her next to the bull but she doesn't take up much of the shot the bull does, which reinforces Laura Mulvey's theory as this could have connotations of her being similar to an object since she is small in relation to the bull.  I could also link this with John Berger's 'Ways of Seeing' theory as he states that a female unconsciously acts in a way knowing she is being viewed. This is exactly what Dita Von Teese is doing in this video since she is dancing provocatively. The other female dancers in this video are also wearing minimal clothing and are acting for the male audience and the lead singer Jared Leto within the video. A close up shot of a blonde female dancer licking an ice cream, shows that she is trying to be sexual and provocative to the male eye who is watching. She is looking directly at the camera, and this element of performance increases interest from the audience, especially the male demographic.

During the climax of the video where too opposing sides, Levi Strauss' theory of Binary opposites, clash in a battle of colour this shows the resolution to the song. As the lyrics 'take no more' together with this clash of colour could symbolise a person standing up for themselves. The lyrics 'A thousand times I've tempted fate, a thousand times I've played this game' during the chorus of the song symbolises the anger from the singer and this climax shows singer resolving these feelings.

Storyboard of existing music video - with notes on mise-en-scene, cinematography, sound and editing.

I have chosen to look at Green Day's music video for '21 Guns' as an existing music video. Green Day's music belongs to the 'Punk-rock' genre and by creating 30 second storyboard of this video, this has made me aware of the codes and conventions of a music video which belongs to that particular genre. For example, the members of the band are wearing dark clothing and the lead singer wears dark eye make-up which reflects the way they wish to be perceived - as rock stars. As well as there being shots of a story which the video is trying to tell (the other male and female character), there are many shots of the band performing. This is a typical convention of any music video in any genre, as usually you would always see the artist at some point. 

Skills Development Essay

Before I started studying Media Studies, I had little awareness of how everything which is contained within a media product has a meaning and has a reason for being there. I didn’t know that often, many key elements are placed within a media product in order to attract or satisfy an overall target audience’s needs. Over the duration of studying Media I have developed my skills massively in terms of Digital Technology by learning how to use Photoshop with ease, Creativity in producing my own individual and successful product, understanding the conventions of a media text, and how to research and plan before approaching a task effectively.

After carrying out research into different types of music magazines I quickly learnt and understood the conventions of a magazine. For example, all magazine covers have a masthead, bar code, headline, main image and assisting cover lines. I learnt this by carefully analysing a magazine’s language, institution, ideology, audience and how it is represented. With a music magazine the main image will often show an artist or band which will be the subject of a double page spread, where the cover lines are often associated with music related topics. In order to carry out good research I looked at many different types of music magazines such as Kerrang, Q and NME which were similar to the genre I wished to recreate in my own magazine. I did this in order to understand what attracts their particular audience, the magazine’s function and the overall layout. These new and improved skills of research helped me create a product which looked legitimate and professional. Furthermore, whilst I was carrying out further research into an existing music magazine’s reader profile, it increased my awareness of how all media texts are aimed at a particular demographic.

When it comes to planning a media product I have learnt that some tasks need to be carried out before attempting to create a music magazine. For example, now I know that I should brain storm my initial ideas and research the different key elements when it comes to creating a media product such as font types, shot types, and what image would work best for each of my final products. I needed to plan the layout of the product and the overall mise-en-scene. A vital part in planning my music magazine was to ask the target audience what they would like from a music magazine of the particular genre which I had chosen. I did this by carrying out a focus group and asking other people within that target audience what they would like to see. By carrying out a focus group and researching the Users and Gratifications theory I have learnt that all media products should satisfy their needs as a consumer. Without this, the product would be unsuccessful.

In terms of digital technology I have gained a wide range of skills when it comes to the usage of Photoshop, which was a vital programme when producing a magazine cover, contents page and double page spread. I have learnt how to properly use tools that I was already aware of on Photoshop, whilst gaining knowledge of tools and functions which I didn’t know were available. For example, the quick selection tool which was used to cut the outline of the model out of the image’s original background to place onto a new image. I also learned how to use the blur and smudge tool and the spot healing brush tool; this helped me in creating a clear, smooth and refined image. These new and improved skills helped me improve my work as it contributed to producing a much more, professional product compared with my first college magazine cover, which I produced at the beginning of the year. Before starting AS Media Studies, I had no awareness of the importance of different shot types, lighting and what makes a picture brilliant or bad. This is reflected in my college magazine cover which I produced at the beginning of my coursework. The image on the front cover of my college magazine is cluttered and not well composed. Whereas, with the main image on my magazine cover it is clear, in focus and is clearly a mid-shot. Furthermore, when creating my media product I learnt about different styles of fonts by using the text tool and the effects of the layer blending tool and adjusting a layer’s opacity.

When I started my first year of Media Studies, I had no understanding of the many processes that are behind the creation of a Media product. Throughout the duration of the year I learnt vital skills such as understanding and establishing an Institution’s ideologies through analysing the deeper meaning of a media text. In order to do this I learnt the importance of the mise-en-scene and cinematography when creating a media product such as the task I completed for coursework. I found out that a certain camera angle or shot type can portray a certain meaning. For example, if I took a picture of one of my artists at a low angle I found it could make them look quite powerful and intimidating. By being creative with mise-en-scene and cinematography I learnt how to make a media product which was unique and individual, but followed the typical conventions of a music magazine at the same time. For example, the front cover had a main image accompanied by a complimentary headline, my contents page had a letter from the editor, and my double page spread had an article in a journalistic form and so on.

Upon completing my work I learnt how to critically evaluate the finished product which I had created, this helped me discover what I had done successfully and what could be done differently if I was going to approach a task similar to that again. Instead of simply stating what was successful about my finished product, I looked at what wasn’t as successful and which parts appealed to my target audience directly.  In order to do this I used different methods of evaluation. For example, I analysed my own product and I issued questionnaires to members of my target audience which included questions that found out what they liked and disliked about the product.

Overall, comparing my overall knowledge and skill level to the beginning of my first year of Media Studies to what it is now, I have a much greater understand of the Media than I did before. For example, I often watch advertisements on television and automatically think about what its purpose is and the ideologies behind it. I also understand the use of mise-en-scene and cinematography within an image (for example, an advertisement) and what meaning that consequently creates. 

A2 Coursework brief

Create a promotion package for the release of an album, to include a music promotion video, a cover for its release as part of a digipak (CD/DVD package) and a magazine advertisement for the digipak.