Media overall NEA presentation

 

1. Explain your overall plan for your band/artist and your music video including the song, theme and stylistic/media language techniques and aesthetic. 

Song- I might be wrong by Radiohead, The band is a fictional artist called Bleak Week, the video would feature two character have arguments other various issues but they are very polarised and cannot compromise. This will fulfil the briefing by representing two characters of two political background. We see a camera where there is a third character who is pleased that they can not unify. This would fulfil the brief by having two distinct mise-en-scenes. The political issues would be how media polarises people and distract them from solving the issues at hand. I believe this could be done with the restrictions, as the video will be intimate and small scale. The aesthetic of the video would be very realistic, and gritty- with blue/ green tints, decreased saturation, heightened sharpness, and with the third character having chiaroscuro lighting to establish a sinister tone. The video will follow the 180 rule to present the characters having an argument as if they were in person, whilst also having a range of camera angles/ shots such as a dolly zoom, wide shot, close ups, ectara. 

2. Explain your overall plan for your website and how it will represent/market the artist. 

My artist will be a group that is large, and famous group, who has well established political views, and known for being experimental. Their identity would be that of humble background, they prefer to present concepts, and ideas in their videos, however they are always intrinsically linked with the artists identity. This would be a melancholic identity, that appeals to a socially aware demographic. The website could represent this using binary oppositions, which is a key theme of the music video, and how this leads to ultimately futile debates. Therefore any ‘advertisements’ on their websites would be warnings to not buy their albums or buy concert tickets. This could also be reflected by the imagery of the website, with use of a lot of contrasting colours. The website will feature a separate page that will feature a radio interview of the band. The main page will feature a brief biography of the band, their new album, a screen of cancelled tour dates, and a link to the video/ mini player of the video. The imagery will be cold, and have a lot of juxtaposition with colour, a visual link to the video, as well as a lot of clean sans serif fonts, as this is a modern band appealing to a younger audience who would want imagery that is bold, and attention grabbing. 

3. Explain how your website will work well with the music video to promote the artist.

The website will include, imagery that both links to the music video- polarisation, subliminal messages, and a general bleak tone. However, will include imagery that parodies the video itself, to promote the artist; Thus, illustrating their experimental style, political commentary, whilst also illustrating the band doesn’t take itself too seriously. The website will also feature more conventional promotion such as albums, merchandise, and tour dates, and the same logo for the band as the music video, to create band iconography, and a strong brand. It may also use gifs of clips from the music video, as well as the same logo used in the video, and similar topographies to create a ‘house style’ that is instantly recognisable to the band, as well as social media links to encourage ‘fandom.’ 

4. Break down your music video into 30 second sections - what will we see in this section? 

Note on structure: I have used Todorov’s theory of narrative to frame my video. The video will establish an equilibrium, a problem, and a climax but no resolution. As the problem in that the video deals with are not solved in our lives, and therefore the narrative would not either. 

1-30: We would have two parallel narratives, with juxtaposing imagery but the same scenery- Turning on a laptop/ Computer, and going on social media. They are comment on a message board over a political issue, and the argument starts. The video will start with longer shots, and gradually get shorter, to create a sense of a faster pace. This intro would also feature a blank screen with the name of the song, and the artist with the same typography as the website for greater brand recognition. 

30-60:  The argument continues to become more aggressive, and volatile. Arguing over a variety of political issues: climate change, the pandemic, the election, Brexit, ectara. The video would use the 180 rule, to film it as if they are having a actual argument, however instead it is over the internet, and critical thought is devoid. With the lyrics “I might be wrong” “I used to think” I would have both characters, be isolated, with a plain background (black or white, or a green screen) using a dolly zoom technique, with a cross fade to the next segment. 

60-90: We see these arguments, cross fade into data, and eventual financial gains. I want the video to be a constant build up to a climax, so this would revolve around a lot of fast editing, and cuts. I would also use repetition of footage for both practical reasons, and as a convention of music videos. Therefore, as we cut to these financial gains, we would also cut back to the argument. Thus, illustrating the futility, and how these social media platforms are designed to polarise, and profit. 

90-120: We would then have this ‘data’ on a computer screen with a slow pan to a third character, in an office environment, with chiaroscuro lighting, this would mean to be a representative of ‘big companies’ the chiaroscuro lighting would be used to symbolise the immoral actions of these companies, as well act as a binary opposition to the clinical cold lighting of the characters. 

120-150: Here we will start to cut between the two mise-en-scenes- the argument continues to get more volatile, whilst cutting to the data, and the character representing ‘companies’ now additionally we will have cuts to either archival footage, or I will get footage of derelict/ run down areas within the local areas- big industrial building, rubbish at local wildlife, CTV, barbed wire ectara. This is where the cuts will start gaining momentum. 

150-180: Here we will have continuous cuts, with repeated footage, arguments, from person A and B, the data, the money, the representative of the company, and as said previously, archival footage, or footage I get myself of the local area. This would culminate with the footage becoming more distorted, and overwhelmed with the colour of red until, with a fade off into black. 

5. How does your music video and website fulfil the requirements of the brief? 

Music video:

Includes two characters with distinct political opinions.

Mise-en-scene: The distinct scenes between the computer screens of the characters arguing, and the chiaroscuro lighting of the ‘company’ character, as well as the outside world which has been left to be neglected.

Editing; Will feature title screen of the band/ song. Fast paced, and use repeated footage- a convention of music videos. I have also though of having text screen quickly flash up during the video, with messages such as ‘obey’ a inter-textual reference to ‘They Live’ but I feel this may be too over dramatic. 

Website:

Feature typography that ties into the music video, an additional page that will feature a radio interview, and social links. This radio interview would also fulfil the ‘unique audio’ of briefing. 

6. Come up with 5 adjectives to describe your band/artist and your overall package

Experimental, Pessimistic, Polarisation, Ironic, Cold

I Might Be Wrong

[Verse 1]

I might be wrong, I might be wrong

I could have sworn I saw a light coming on

I used to think, I used to think

There was no future left at all

I used to think

[Chorus 1]

Open up, begin again

Let's go down the waterfall

Think about the good times and never look back

Never look back

[Verse 2]

What would I do?

What would I do?

If I did not have you?

[Chorus 2]

Open up and let me in

Let's go down the waterfall

Have ourselves a good time, it's nothing at all

It's nothing at all, nothing at all

[Outro]

Keep it moving

Keep it moving