Below is a copy of the e-mail I sent to the band 1984 requesting permission to use their song. Lets hope they reply quickly!
The image is pretty small, so below is what the e-mail says;
To 1984,
Hello there, my name is Chris Joyce and i'm currently a student studying media studies at A2 level. This year, for our coursework, we have to make a music video, using a song that we have found ourselves. Me and my friend have created an account on unsigned.com and have been snooping around for a good song to use. We specifically want to use an Indie band's song, and while searching we found your profile. We clicked on 'Green Eyed Monster' and it instantly appealed to us. It perfectly suits the video that we want to make and we really like the song. We would really love to use your song for our music video, but we need your permission to do this. I'm sure we would communicate a lot as we make the video and we would be able to send you a copy after we are done, incase you are curious.
It would be really great if we could use the video. Do we have permission to use your track for our video? We have to start within the next few weeks and it would be great to get a reply.
There have been several bands we've looked at on unsigned.com, but we've looked closely at the band 1984 and their song called Green Eyed Monster. Its the only song they've put on the site but it fits perfectly with what we want! It has a long intro meaning we can easily introduce the character and it even has a detective style sound.
The lyric include questions, which fits GREAT with the detective theme. The opening lines are "what is his name and where is he from? why is he talking to you for so long? is he a friend or just an acquaintance?".
I thought that finding good music that isn't copyrighted would be a real challenge, scavenging around the internet for any hints of a track or going through random websites with a fine tooth-comb to look for that one random song that isn't copyrighted. BUT, as it turns out, its REALLY easy!
I signed up on unsigned.com and there is a whole database of unsigned bands just waiting for me to make a video with one of their songs. You can search by genre, song name, artist name and loads more without even needing an account! I was really shocked.
I've immediately clicked on the Indie genre and am having a rifle through, no doubt I'll stumble upon a hidden gem any minute!
This is one of my favourites because the band members, in particular Dave Grohl (lead singer, rhythm guitar) and Taylor Hawkins (Drummer) and Chris Shiflett (guitarist, backing), play many different people within the video. Plus, a guest appearance by Tenacious D always goes down well in my books. As a fan of the Foo Fighters, this video entertained me a great deal, to see the band members portraying many different people, for example a giggly school girl and a large woman trying to fit into her airplane seat. If possible, i would really enjoy trying to fit this into my video, being multiple characters as well as being involved on-stage as part of the band.
Foo Fighters are band classed under Indie Music, as well as Rock. This shows the many possibilities available when making an indie music video, which gives me much more confidence in making my own.
Below are the characters Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins and Chris Shiflett portray.
I like this music video, mainly because of the song, which is very reflective as well as upbeat and happy.
What i like about this music video in particular is the direct address Sandi Thom gives towards the camera. At all times the camera keeps her in focus and is placed in front of her, using a steadi-cam. This direct address to the camera is given in very few videos but attracts me and makes sure the audience is drawn in as it feels like a more personal experience. This may not be right for our particular video idea, but i like it nonetheless.
As she sings the song and walks along the street (a lot like The Verve's video for 'Bittersweet Symphony') the people in the street behind her follow her, but all are unique ad independent at the same time. Some examples include a guitarist, cyclists, samba-dancer, a protester and a streaker. This theme of them being a collective, but simultaneously being individual and unique appeals to me greatly.
Below are some shots from the video, which demonstrate what i have talked about above:
I've had a GREAT media idea for a music video and its the idea I have chosen to use.
THE CHARACTER
It uses a detective, a stereotypical one, for example Columbo. He'll have a large overcoat, detective-style hat and most probably a magnifying glass. This character in a modern-day setting will be humorous ad will get the attention of the audience. They'll want to relate to him and this will make them focus more on the song, fulfilling a few of the video promo purposes.
I got the idea for this character through watching many other music videos, these include Kasabian - Vlad The Impaler and Beastie Boys - Sabotage, which both use humorous characters. Vlad, from the Kasabian video (portrayed by 'Mighty Boosh' and 'Never Mind The Buzzcocks' favourite Noel Fielding) interested me in particular, a single person with v
ery identified clothing and make-up. This is what inspired me to make our own, unique character.
Left: Noel Fielding as 'Vlad The Impaler'
Right: Two stereotypical 'cops' as played by the Beastie Boys in their video for 'Sabotage'
Inspector Clouseau from the Pink Panther films (the older ones starring Peter Sellers, not the terrible new one's starring Steve Martin) is the perfect example of our character. Idiotic, clumsy and ridiculous whilst at the same time serious. Even with the detective background. This uses intertextuality, part of postmodernism.
The Plot
The detective comes walks out of a building and trips over a wire. Bemused by a wire lying in the middle of the street he, accompanied by his magnifying glass, follow the wire in a detective manner. This wire is eventually attached to a guitar amplifier, on stage, where the band is practising on stage.
Throughout, shots will be interchanged between the comedic detective and the band playing on stage, allowing room for many different transitions and effects that can be found in many music videos. For example, splitting the screen into sections and displaying different images within the sections, or alternating the colouring of the shot giving it perhaps a sepia or black and white effect. This will also allow us to put in a good amount of lip-syncing with the band, as well as having a story-line with the detective.
The idea is to give the very serious detective character a comedic role, and this will be done by using humorous locations, through which he is to travel by following the wire. Some ideas of locations are:
A driving range - dodging and getting hit by balls as he follows the lead.
Around a corner then running back towards the camera as getting chased by a dog.
Through a girls changing room.
Getting run over.
Getting confused by over-lapping wires.
Getting bullied by a baby in a pram.
Hit by object coming out of window.
The serious approach of the detective as he goes through these humorous settings will hopefully lead to a few chuckles and a memorable video. The character of the detective will be played by either myself or my media colleague Matthew Maloney.
Now that thats done, we just need to find a song that fits with our idea . . . .
Different types of music appeal to different people and audiences. The name for different types of music, the same as in film, is 'Genre'. Genres have fluctuated throughout time, for example, classical music was listened to a great deal throughout earlier centuries, but has recently become less popular, with only a stereotypical selection of people listening to that genre. A songs genre refers to many things, for example;
What instruments are used.
The age range of the songs listeners.
The speed/pace of the song.
The ethnicity of its listeners.
As you can see, a songs genre tends greatly to its target audience and the reception it will get, whether that be in the charts, on youtube or even more recently in downloads.
Choosing a genre has
great importance, so I've taken some time to study genres:
Acoustic - seems to soft and gentle for what we
want, and the noises produced by acoustic instruments (e.g.
acoustic guitar) don't go very well with the detective line of thought, the sound would be contrapuntal. It is possible however, so who knows, if we run short of options then we may have to turn to acoustic . . . but I doubt it. An example of an acoustic artist is 'Bob Dylan'.
Country - uses similar
instruments to acoustic, with a very different and often joyful sound being made, which unfortunately doest fit what we're looking for. An
example of a country artist is '
Kenny Rogers'.
Jazz
-uses wind and brass instruments, along with percussion, in order to create varied sounds.
Songs can be either very cheery or quite dreary with changing pace and regularly no words. Because of this, it cannot be used for the video. WE NEED WORDS. A famous Jazz artist is 'Louis Armstrong '.
Indie - uses an array of electric guitars as well as the drums and vocals to get different sounds. Songs vary greatly with topic and even with sound, making this one of the most diverse genres. Indie music is very popular at the moment, which would increase our target audience, fulfilling a purpose of the music video. This genre is promising :) An example of an Indie band is 'Gorillaz'.
Rock - Rock is the heaviest of the most common genres. Using strictly electric guitars and heavy, low tones, its linked strongly with the colour black and its followers are strongly stereotyped. We're not looking for music as heavy as this, we want a light-hearted yet strong song with a solid, steady bass and this genre rarely provides that. A famous rock band is 'Guns n' Roses'.
Hip-Hop
/Rap - These are often interlinked and regularly include heavy bass lines with long verses and catchy choruses. This genre would be good for us, but the rap side does not go well with the detective theme and the words are sung too fast for us to easily lip-sync. Because of this, it would be hard for us to use. A famous Hip-hip/rap artist is 'Kanye West'.
Pop - short for 'popular'. Often gentle songs about love. Generally made up of boy and girl bands with soft, non-explicit lyrics enjoyed by the younger audience. This is ok for us, but doesn't suit who we want our target audience to be. A famous pop band is 'Spice Girls'.
After spending some time thinking what genre of song we want to use, we've come up with a definite answer, and that is . . . . Indie.
This song is taken from Eminem's latest album 'Recovery' and features the voice of Rihanna for the chorus.
These two artists aren't exactly similar, so the news that they were coming together for a song was big in the music industry world. This is a personal favourite from the album and is currently very high in the charts.
Rhianna is an artist who has had a array of different songs, stretching across many genres, from acoustic to R 'n' B to pop. This has led to her being accompanied by many other famous artists on her songs, for example Justin Timberlake on her song 'Rehab' and Jay-Z on debatably her most famous song 'Umbrella'. She has many images and frequently switches between them, particularly with hair-style, in order to suit and support the song. In this particular video she has red hair as the video and song involve the theme of fire. Rihanna's target audience is females between the ages of roughly 12 - 25 years of ages, but she also appeals to the male audience.
Eminem is an artist that could be described as somewhat postmodern as he uses songs and elements used previously by other artists. he has also done quite a few songs with videos that are parody's, for example the video 'Just Lose It'. His genre is rap, but has been accompanied on songs by various other artists including Ozzy Osborne, Elton John and Dido. His target audience is teenagers and males in particular. However, many of his songs need parental guidance and all of his albums are rated 18+.
The Video
Above is the video for 'Love the Way You Lie'. It shows both artists, Eminem and Rihanna, and the two characters in the video. These characters are played by Megan Foxx (from the movie blockbusters Transformers and Jennifers Body) and Dominic Monaghan (Lord of the Rings films, X-Men Origins, Lost). Both of these actors are very well known in Hollywood and across the globe for their famous film appearances. Both are very highly paid, showing the huge budget that is available for music videos such as this one. Megan Foxx is currently rated the 11th sexiest woman in the world according to website askmen.com (http://uk.askmen.com/specials/2010_top_99/megan-fox-11.html) so her presence in the video drastically boost its popularity. This increases the already huge target audience, which includes all of Rihanna's and Eminem's fans. The choice to use these two professionals means that the video is more widely received and is more successful, therefore boosting the songs success.
Analysis
As the video starts, we first see Rihanna. She has red hair and is standing infront of an unclear, flaming background. This, from the very start, has connotations with passion, lust, love, through her hair colour and simultaneously connotates danger and harm with the fire. By doing this, it is suggesting that love and passion and closely linked with danger, which matches the lyrics and main themes of the song. It is at this point that we first see the characters, intimately tangled on the bed, showing they are personally involved. The common sight of fire is then properly seen and is directly addressed for the first time as the female character (Megan Foxx) holds fire in her hand, perhaps displaying that she is in control of this regular indicator of danger.
Eminem is then seen for the first time, dressed in simple clothing in a large corn field. Both the location and his clothing suggest naivity and simplicity through basic style and rural values. This simplicity creates a greater purity, clarity and focus on the song's lyrics, giving them greater depth and meaning. The location could also contribute an alone, disperse feel to the video and song, debatably mirroring the bad effects of love. The storyline then continues as the female character sees a girls number on the male character's hand, and this triggers her negative reaction. The irregular shot-angles used for the next few shots of the couple display the uncomfortable and obscure nature of the relationship, which is reinforced by the fact that they are fighting.
The quick cuts between Eminem and the characters almost blends their images, suggesting that they are somehow linked. This in turn proposes that maybe this whole story is an anecdote of Eminem, it is a story he has lived through himself. This creates a greater connection between Eminem and the viewers, predominantly his fans. This then creates a greater popularity and success for Eminem and his songs, meaning the video has met its purpose. The long, wide shots of Eminem display his loneliness and vulnerability, which again links to a possible end product of being in a relationship like the one shown in the video. This is matched by the quick, dynamic camera movements, which provide an aggressive outlook which adds to the physical conflict on-screen.
Both Eminem and Rihanna then come together for the final verse at the same location. This is different to other parts of the video where they have been seperated at different locations, which takes its own spin on relationships and love, showing that they can be off and on again with an unpredictable and unsure nature. Theyre infront of a burning house, which has connotations with family and safety, and disregards these things, giving the video a destructive ending. As this occurs, the storyline shows a made-up, provocative Megan Foxx in a bar and then in a supermarket as the male character, Dominic Monaghan, steals a bottle of vodka. This gives an insight into the personlaities of the characters.
Back in the home, a tracking shot is used to show the male character chasing the female through the house, going from room to room. This allows us to see the whole body of both characters, giving us a better view of their emotions and actions as we can see their body language aswell as their facial expressions. The characters, aswell as the singers, then catch alight, but are not harmed by the fire. This links the story to the singers and suggest they have been damaged or harmed by the fire, being burned, which is representative of love.
At the very end of the video we return to the two characters on the bed, despite the preceeding story, suggesting that this whole story is cylical and wil be repeated, not just for these characters, but for many of the audience watching. This means that the video and song can be related to by the audience, or could even be seen as a warning.
Welcome to my A2 media blog. This blog will track my progress across the year and follow me throughout the process of making a music video. I hope you enjoy it :)
