The main character will be a teenager, preferably around the age of 14 or 15 years old. The character will have amnesia and shell shock from a war. He is traumatised from his past and his memories ave disappeared, however he wants to search for his old memories which seem to have faded away. He finds himself in one of his dream worlds where he begins to explore and search for his past memories.
Lyric related ideas
"Where are you now"
An over-the-shoulder shot of the young man staring at an old shelter or photo in a Forest, which used to be a small home. The lyrics, "where are you now" will symbolise how he is questioning about his old home and his memories, asking where they have gone. Furthermore, this foreshadows a binary opposite, strong vs weak, as his loss of memory has made him become disadvantaged and weak. Moreover, this indicates the isolation of the character and sends a message to the audience related to modern society and how many mentally disabled individuals are often isolated and viewed the same as other individuals.
"Under the sea"
A medium or long shot of the character standing next to a river and falling into the water. The way the character falls symbolises how they are giving up on their disadvantages. This shows emotive body language as it makes the audience realise the difficulties in the life of a mentally disabled individual.
'Formation' is a song which was released by Beyonce. It was mainly released as an attempt for Beyonce to give her view on modern society and the levels of inequality. The word, 'Formation' sounds like a metaphor to organise a protest against the lack of equality in today's society, especially in America. However, this also shows the power which celebrities nowadays possess and how they have more power than other individuals due to how the public tend to follow the views of these famous characters rather than other individuals such as politicians.
Towards the beginning of the music video, we see a scene where Beyonce is in an old looking house from many decades if not centuries ago and she is sat in a chair. She is sat in an upright position as if she is trying to show a sign of empowerment. Furthermore, irony is shown as she is a black woman acting in the role of a white woman which portrays the difference between difference races and how differently they are viewed or treated. When she was sat in the chair and in the old but expensive looking house, it made her look as if she was classier. However, in another scene, we see her in this same house but dancing with a group of women in a childish manner. This could also show the inequality but in terms of different classes and how they are treated.
Another way in which Beyonce expresses her point is through the lyrics of her song. We hear her talk about how proud she is about herself. She is basically encouraging pride in appearance and telling people to be proud about themselves and show how they are as equal as everyone else is. We hear the lyrics "never take the country out me" which is basically her saying, 'don't take my country away from me', in an attempt to protest against views such as discrimination.
We also hear her say "I work hard, I grind 'til I own it", which is basically her setting the point that she has so much power and authority because she will keep 'working' and fighting towards the equality of women in an attempt to prove that things such as women and different races such be treated equally. Throughout the song, we also hear words coming from the man such as 'bitch'. This sets a strong example as to how todays society, especially in America, doesn't take matters such as sexism seriously, because the word 'bitch' can be seen as a very offensive word towards women and it makes them seem like an object and that they are being used, therefore raising the point about inequality in gender again. This can be related to other songs which also use offensive words such as 'nigger'. This against foreshadows major contextual issues such as racism and the lack of equality in todays society.
Another scene shown in 'Formation' is a scene of CCTV footage of Beyonce and other women dancing on a car park. However, they are positioned in an 'X' shape. This could be a referral to Malcolm X, who also attempted to fight for civil rights and increase the equality of black people. However, the next scene we see of these dancers who were in an 'X' shape is a scene of them coming together to form a wall. This could portray how nowadays, nobody has really attempted to fight against issues such as sexism and have only tried to defend themselves against it.
Towards the end of the music video, we see a sene of a little boy dancing in front of a wall of riot police. this could be a representation of how police cannot or should not do anything against a little kid, raising the point about inequality and power. However, after seeing this scene, police protested against this video and refused to police her concerts, therefore showing that they still possess high levels of power, but do not use it in a way to fight against issues such as sexism and racism.
Bad Romance is a song released by Lady Gaga. The music video was seen as a rich test as there was a lot to pick out. In the music video, Lady Gaga looked like she was being forced. You could see that she acted in a sexual and slutty way. This could be used as a way to describe the savage view of the music industry in today's society. It looked as if women were pressurising her. This is an example of the pressure in today's society in both the music industry and other things such as social media.
Later on in the music video, we see a shot of computer screens which shows the people bidding on Lady Gaga. this sets an example of women and how they are metaphorically viewed as properties and are being used, such as modern day slavery. Furthermore, it makes the music industry out to be like an auction and as if it is a form of prostitution with the levels of nudity in music videos. The way Lady Gaga dances in a seductive way in the music video makes it look like she is selling herself to the men who are watching a bidding on her.
At another point in the music video we see a shot which shows us an alcohol. The alcohol is an expensive vodka which could show how artists in the music industry nowadays are all in it for the money and can use money to work their way through any of their potentials and achievements. It is only when Lady Gaga is forced to drink the alcohol when she widens her eyes. The wide eyes suggests how after she has been forced to embrace this role, the potion has almost taken away the innocence of her true self and that she feels as if she has been set expectations to carry this lack of innocence into the corporation, therefore representing the lack of power in todays music industry.
Another shot in the music video shows some white pods. They open to show women in white suits which are covering their eyes, before the women crawl out of them. The pods have a sign of crosses on with the word 'Monster' in red. The white pods could represent an egg that has been hatched by a corporation called 'Monster'. The room that they are in is white which looks very futuristic. This suggests a sci-fi situation where women are only used for corporations to use. This could refer to how famous female artists in music industries are used in forcing ways in order to achieve fame. The album which 'Bad Romance' features in is called 'Fame Monster' which backs up how celebrities are willing to almost demonise themselves to achieve fame, therefore portraying how celebrities nowadays have a lot of power in the media and modern society in general.
At the end of the music video, we see a scene of Lady Gaga lying down on a bed while smoking a cigarette next to a man. However, she then sets fire to the man. This could suggest that Lady Gaga has been transformed from an innocent artist into an artist who has been set to destroy and manipulate the music industry and social media by playing the game and ending with control. In a way Gaga, she has created her own music industry in a unique and powerful way, as she has gained control over the existing music industry.
What camera angles, shots, movement & position, are still used today from the 'Hard Day's Night' Performance music videos?
A Hard Day's Night is a British comedy film directed by Richard Lester in 1964. This is a song originally produced by The Beatles. The performance music video had many camera angles, shots, movement & positions which are still used today. For example, they used hand-held cameras. Furthermore, Richard Lester helped form and establish the codes and conventions oh how to create a music video for a band. He did this by using close-ups of the lead singer, cutaways of instruments being played, filming the band together and individually, cutting to the beat of the song and filming a live performance.
Discuss what the appeal was of MTV in the 1980's?
In the 1980's, MTV had tons of music videos and music news. This was the time where MTV became most popular. The programming mostly consisted of basic music videos. These videos were introduced by video jockeys and provided for free by record companies. As MTV was becoming more and more recognised by record industries, a lot more money was being invested in making creative, cutting-edge videos as it was seen as an excellent opportunity to gain media attention. A lot of music videos were being created before feature films started to become popular such as 'A Hard Day's Night' (1964) Directed by Richard Lester.
Discuss what elements of the Marilyn Monroe musical scene are borrowed by Madonna?
One of the best-known examples of deconstruction is Madonna's 1985 video for "Material Girl" Directed by Mary Lambert, which was closely modelled on Jack Cole's staging of "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" from the film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. In terms of the costumes, she was wearing a bright pink dress which attracted a lot of attention from audiences. The other individuals were men wearing suits which made her out to be powerful and looked as if she owned the show. They all held props of love hearts which made her seem as if she was loved and once again made her seem as if she was the main character on the stage.
A short film is a film which isn't long enough to be considered a feature film. Short films have many codes and conventions. For example, one convention in short films is the characters. Short films often only have around 4 at the most main characters to allow the audience to relate to the characters in a short amount of time as short films don't really have time to create deep story lines. For example. Wasp (2003) by Andrea Arnold only had a small amount of main characters and it was a short film which didn't have too much of a deep story line to it, as it was clearly about a mother with a family which she couldn't handle. The 'wasp' was a metaphor of the mother as it was symbolising the danger and how she may have felt trapped and scared, as if she was about to sting back any time soon.
Another convention we follow in short films is having a 'twist'. We follow this because as short films are so short, having a twist makes them seem more interesting as a lot of audiences, especially in modern days, find short films uninteresting. Most short films have a very low budget. This is because a lot of short films do not depend as much with funding as short film directors are not often funded with much money. Short film directors often stick to one or two locations and only use a few actors. This saves a lot of money and can still be enough to create a worthy short film.
The length of the short film is another important convention. The length of most short films is usually between 5 minutes and 15 minutes, but some short films can be made up to 35 minutes long. The situation is also very relevant to short films. Short films often relate to the subject which can be seen and related to an everyday situation. This allows the audience to be able to relate to the short film while entertaining them. It will make them more able to relate and flip the topic in a way. Another convention that can be seen in short films is Todorov's Theory of Equilibrium. This theory was split into three different meanings. The first meaning is 'equilibrium', which means that everything is normal. The second meaning is 'disequilibrium', which means that a problem occurs. The final meaning is 'new equilibrium', which means that the problem has been solved and that there has been a solution. Everything is back to normal, but there is a noticeable change.
What is your reaction to the short films?
In my opinion, I do not find short films very interesting. This is because in modern days, a lot of audiences expect more 'action packed' films which have a lot more exciting and thrilling moments such as Fast and Furious and The Avengers. In terms of the two short films 'Wasp' and 'Gasman', I felt as if the director had tried to set a simple but noticeable storyline, as it was about an everyday situation of a family living in a lower class and more difficult society.
Which shots did you think were effective?
In 'Wasp', the use of camera was very effective as there are a lot of hand-held shots. They seemed to create more of a subjective, intimate effect on the film, especially as it gives the impression of presence in the action and makes the audience feel as if they can further relate to it as the audience can feel very emotionally involved with it. However with the other film, 'Gasman', there seems to be a lot more careful framing and there are a lot more cinematic shots and vanishing points.
For example, in this shot she cuts off the childs head to show the child just playing around and puts the audience in more of a realistic and a position which the audience can relate to. This shows how careful the storyboarding has been created. Furthermore, these vanishing ponts could be done to make the audience focus on other aspects of the film, such as the sound or the scenery. This can be done to expand the audiences views of the film and can make the films more interesting to watch.
How is the UK represented in these short films?
The films have a variety of representations of place, character, gender and class. One example of these is gender. 'Wasp' is a short film about a young woman who lives in poverty. She is a single mother of four but clearly wants something for herself. However, she has a big responsibility and knows that she should prioritise her children before she meets one of her old crushes. The woman disrupts her responsibility and priority for her children and decides to go on a date with her old crush. The woman is described as a 'baby factory' which could symbolises how she might not care as much about her children as much and treats them as if they are objects. The fact that the woman living in poverty has separated her wants and her needs could be a reality representation as to how lower classed individuals in modern society act negatively upon a lot of their decisions which encourages their poor standards of living.
-Opening sequence – Edited a prison image over the
title and cartoon image of Theroux
Sound
Mise en Scene
-Talking to a man who has 500 years in Prison –
catches the audiences attention.
-Asks why he has to wear a vest in the prison. Asks to
keep in contact with audience.
-Prisoners are acting crazy in the prison to attract attention
off the camera.
-Music came in when Theroux entered the prison and
when the BBC logo came on (BBC indicates high quality programme, expert
journalism etc.)
-Commentary (voiceover)
-The prisoner is in more of cage than a prison. (cages
would usually be for animals – animalistic imagery)
-Recorded inside a prison – gives the audience an
experience.
-Maximum security prison with over 3000 prisoners.
Textual Analysis
In the introduction of Louis
Theroux’s ‘Behind Bars in San Quentin’, it fades in from black to an
establishing shot of the prison. This use of camera and editing is used to
emphasise the area and background of the documentary.
In the opening sequence, it began with
a scene from later on in the documentary. The scene was one from inside the prison,
which gave the audience an idea of what the documentary would cover. It was a
short scene of Theroux interviewing a prisoner who had been given a sentence of
over 500 years. However, the prison looked more like a cage rather than just
any regular prison. In reality, cages would usually be for animals, which shows
animalistic imagery, as if the prisoner was treated more like an animal rather
than any regular individual.
After this short scene, we see a clip of Theroux entering the prison when a prison guard is letting him in. As he walks in, some background music begins as the BBC logo shows up on the bottom of the screen. The fact that the BBC logo has been shown is done because it indicates that the programme is high quality and that there is expert journalism as BBC only broadcast high quality programmes. However, the music that comes on in the background has more of a jolly theme to it. The jolly theme to the background music adds irony as it sets the complete opposite mood for the audience. During this opening sequence, we see an edited prison image over the title and the cartoon image of Theroux. This has been done to attract the audiences attention because it makes the programme seem more unique. In terms of other sounds, we hear diagetic sounds of the prisoners acting crazy when the cameraman and Theroux walk past the prison cells. The fact that they are trying to attract so much attention shows how much of a 'big thing' this is for prisoners as they do not get many positive experiences inside a prison. Furthermore, the loud and intimidating noises of the prisoners sets more of a serious and negative atmosphere in the prison which makes the audience feel as if they are actually inside a prison.
