Steal-o-matic

Our steal-o-matic is composed of visual references taken from music videos, programmes, images, and gifs that have inspired us in some way during the creation of our music video. 

The 4 key set ups that we have tried to show in the steal-o-matic are:

• A powder paint fight - we originally planned to do this in the studio but due to the amount of mess this would make, we have decided to film this scene in Epping Forest
• A playful balloon scene
• A neon scene - we hope to use this mainly for lip-syncing, using close up shots of the lips coloured neon, and switching between a negative effect as well
• A projection scene - we really want to use projections of archive Alice in Wonderland footage to be played over the artist
• 
  

The main themes that we wanted to convey in the video are:

• Friendship
• Playfulness
• Dancing/Partying
• Being in a world of your own/power of your imagination/what goes on inside your head etc - all relating to the title of the track 'My Head is a Jungle'
• 
  

Our main narrative reference was to Alice In Wonderland - mainly the 1951 Walt Disney produced film version. The main points we wish to draw from this narrative are:

• Eating the cookies/cupcakes at the beginning of the video
• Using archive footage as projections, or with a double exposure over our own footage
• Scenery and prop inspiration

Our artist image:

• One female vocalist - a young girl who is attractive but not overly-sexualised, similar to artists such as Katy B and the singer of Route 94.
• 2 male DJs, like Disclosure
• An element of interaction between the female vocalist and the DJs like AlunaGeorge

Editing:

• Reverse Shots - particularly in shots with lots of movement, similar to the reverse shot of neon paint jumping up and down in our steal-o-matic 
• Negative effects to contrast with the neon scene images
• Silhouettes
• Flashing lights/strobe effects

Mise-en-scene:

• Balloons, possible some filled with glitter
• Balloons in the shape of a giant mushroom
• Balloon fight
• Possibly sparklers
• Big sign posts, similar to those in Alice in Wonderland that point different ways and lead to confusion 
• Pinata
• Forest/Mushroom forest

Research - Influential/Inspirational Album Covers

Album artwork is a crucial component to an artist's packaging and the way in which they represent themselves to their market and to the rest of the industry. Some artist's take on a very simplistic approach with a simple photograph of themselves, whilst others go to the other end of the spectrum, hiring famous artists to create unforgettable album covers that are always associated with the artist and their brand.

The 1975 - Self -titled album.

The XX - Coexist

Arctic Monkeys - AM

These three album covers are all good examples of simplistic cover artwork that remains very effective. They have all stuck to very clear and simple colour schemes. The 1975 are now very much associated with black and white colour schemes, a theme which they continue to explore within their music videos and the outfits they wear on stage. The XX's album art for Coexist is a very simple concept which works brilliantly; it is a very simple design and shape, sticking to a plain backgrond, however the colour pattern in the centre design is very interesting and has captivating colours. The Arctic Monkeys' cover for AM shows how they have matured as a band, creating a much more simplistic cover, sticking to black and white, however the design is still clever and has signs of their old quirkiness as the two waves in the middle create and A and an M - to match the title.

Nirvana - Nevermind

This cover of Nrivana's album Nevermind is definitely influential to any artist when researching album artwork as it is one of the most memorable and well-known album covers of all time, printed on thousands upon thousands of posters all over the world. Although the shoot was a fluke and the baby was only put into the pool twice, this image has become iconic. The use of a child chasing a dollar bill on a hook could be seen as a response towards the American society at the time and their attitudes to money and the way their children were raised - being tempted and bribed by money.

Paramore - Selftitled album cover

This album cover of Paramore's self titled album - their first album after the departure of two of their members - is a good example of a band/artist shot album cover that looks effective. Even though it is just a picture of the band infront of a plain background it still looks really striking; the powder paint on the members has added a really fun and quirky effect and adds a nice splash of colour. The black background makes the picture really pop and makes the font stand out well.

King Krule - 6 Feet Beneath The Moon

I really like this album cover as it is very unique and different to what you would expect from a young male solo artist. The only thing I would maybe change about this album cover would be to add the artist's name or the album title but I do think it looks great how it is. It's clear that cubism was an influence on the album art and I think it makes a really interesting picture.

This M.I.A album art is really interesting and would definitely stand out from the other albums on a rack at a store. This album cover is full of contrasts. The background is quite trippy and the black and white colours contrast with the bright colours of the images in the foreground. The peace symbol that is in the centre of the image constrasts with the images of machine guns and army tanks - symbols of war and violence. The two different fonts are on opposite ends of the scale, one is bubble writing, very bouncy and round whilst the other is purple font with jagged, sharp edges. All of these contrasting components make up a really vibrant and interesting album cover. 

Semiotic Analysis

This is the official video made for 30 Seconds To Mars' song City Of Angels
off of their fourth studio album, Love Lust Faith and Dreams. The video was a Bartholomew Cubbins Film, Bartholomew Cubbins is the alias by which Jared Leto - the lead singer of the band - goes by.



The video is almost like a short film, it begins with Kanye West comparing Hollywood icons, famous objects, and architecture to the city of Los Angeles. He is then followed by a series of commentary from several different residents of the city, some who we recognise and some who we don't, and their  relationship with the city of LA. This video captures the city in it's entirety, from the Hollywood Hills to the Hollywood Boulevard, and the struggles along with the successes of the entertainers who live there. The film featured many famous faces such as Lindsay Lohan, Selena Gomez, James Franco, Ashley Olsen, and Corey Feldman, adding to the familiarity of the film for the audience.

Archive clips of Marilyn Monroe, James  Dean and Elisabeth Taylor are included as well, iconic faces in the world of entertainment, recognisable to people all across the world. Leto did not only use famous faces for this film, but also hired people aspiring to make it big in Hollywood, including a young homeless man, a silver street performer, a Superman impersonator, and a porn star/single mum among others in similar positions to them. I think that this was an integral part of the film as it provided a much more realistic and far less glamorous view on the entertainment industry, looking at people who are still trying to reach their dreams, but aren't quite there yet.

Research - Influential Styles/Movements/Periods - of Film, Music Video, Art, Adverts, Fashion etc

This video is a montage of the new House of Vans in London that is a new social hub for skating and arts. It seems to have a really good vibe, full of creativity and energy among young people. It's a really good example of the type of youth culture I would like to portray in our video.

Gif from Skins generation 2

Gif from Skins generation 2

The two gifs I made are from clips of Skins episodes from the third series. Skins is a show that represents people of our own age, doing typical things that people our age do, often frowned upon by adults but it is often quite relatable to our own characters, or characters of our friends. Although the story line is somewhat exaggerated and could be seen to glamourise abuse of drugs and alcohol, mental health, among other touchy subjects, it also gave a sense of release and freedom to our generation, showing us that perhaps some of things we feel aren't so abnormal.

Here is a trailer made by 4Creative for the second series of Skins. The reason why Skins has influenced/inspired me in this process is because I would like to create a narrative for my music video that focuses on one close group of friends, like the groups in Skins. However, I would like to create a more light-hearted, summery feel to the video, and not explore the darker and more psychological sides to the characters like they do in Skins.

This is one of my favourite songs ever, and I first heard it when it was played on Skins in the series 5 finale. This song has a very nostalgic feel to it, a song which always reminds me of summer with my friends. The lyrics are quite coming-of-age styled, with phrases such as "we are a mess, we are failures, and we love it" all to a really cheerful tune, giving off a care-free attitude. 

This was the first time that I had actually watched this video - which is strange as it is one of my favourite songs - but while watching it I realised the first half of the song that's filmed in the day time, is right at the bottom of my road! And all of the shots by the field/forest and golf course are all places where me and my friends go in the summer for field parties etc. So this was really strange for me because I uesd this song as inspiration for my video I want to make based around my friends and having fun, to find out it was filmed in the exact same spot where me and my friends hang out!

Research - Influential/ Inspirational Music Videos, Album Covers and Websites

I really like the lighting in this video, filming at dusk/sunrise has a really nice effect. I also really want to use the London background like King Krule uses in this video. Another thing that inspires me in this video is the use of the flare - if we could find a way to incorporate flares/flame/sparklers into our video I think it could look really cool if we use it correctly. It's really nice how the red light from the flare is almost the only source of light that allows us to see him, it creates a dark atmosphere due to the time of day, however it also adds warmth so it does not come across as cold or sinister.




This is one of my favourite music videos of all time, it has really inspired me to film our video outdoors, even if the weather is bad, you just have to embrace it. The use of the young kids singing along is really great and adds a comic effect to the video. The scene is very relatable for me as it reminds me of the annual cross country run we had to do in school every year at primary and secondary school where we had to run through the muddy forest in our ugly PE kits - there is something distinctly British about this.




The video for Praise You by Fatboy Slim is definitely a game-changer in the world of music videos. It was the catalyst for the flash-mob craze which still goes on today. I love the grainy/VHS/retro look to the video, and the vintage styling of everyone in the video. I think the video is really inspiring and it makes me want to get up and dance and join in with them, it carries a very care-free attitude and is definitely uplifting. Although the dancers in the video are taking their roles very seriously, the video has such comedic value to it, and is just so much fun to watch.




The thing I really love about this video is that you can clearly see it is set in the city, something I hope to do with my own music video. I also really like how it is following the short journey of a man following several different characters, and the fact that the voice doesn't fit the man's character is really interesting and is quite unique in this way. I like this effect because it means that we don't necessarily need an actor whose appearance matches the voice of the singer on the single.




The thing that inspires me about this video is the narrative; I love how the characters sometimes interact with the camera, singing into it and playing up to it. This has influenced me and my ideas as I would like to have a similar narrative, following around a group of friends getting up to their usual mischief about town.




What really inspires me about this video is the setting and the whole theme of the song. The use of the two parrallel views of one city is brilliant and makes it really interesting to watch. It also includes lots of references to popular culture, things that some of the audience will recognise- like the mock of the Rough Trade record store in Brick Lane. I also really like the styling of Lily Allen, her style is quite quirky, she definitely has a girly side as she is wearing big hoop earrings and a very outlandish dress, but she mixes this up with a pair of Nike air max trainers which give Lily her very iconic and unique look.



I really like the different settings of this video, going from a very urbanised, concrete landscape, to areas filled with more greenery, marsh-like land. The use of the two young boys as actors has worked really well as they are compared to two of the real band members - Pete and Carl. The two boys are likeable characters and we empathise with them in a way, as they are two cheeky looking lads who are left in a desolate looking area, where they are the only life around.




I do really like this video, however I have taken more inspiration from the lyrics of the song and the music itself. Some of the lyrics of the song say:

"All the crazy s*** I did tonight,
those will be the best memories."

Admittedly, these aren't the most thought-inspiring lyrics I have come across but it is the vibe and the theme of being young/care-free and having fun with friends on a night out, which I would like to use for our own music video.

Research - Suitable Tracks for the Single

At this stage I'm currently finding it really difficult to find a suitable track for the single as all of the tracks that I really want to use are tracks which I'm uncertain of wether or not they fit the criteria, as they are relatively new/possibly well known songs. However, here are a few songs that have the sort of vibe I was looking for, even though some of them are not exactly what I was looking for.

Research - Genres of Interest

I have a really wide taste in music that reaches over a variety of genres, such as; indie rock, alternative, funk rock, hip-hop, ska, punk, pop punk, EDM (in general), hardcore, metalcore, metal, grunge, DIY punk, melodic hardcore/emo. However, I am aware that some of these genres are very niche and so they only appeal to a very specific target market which can be hard to reach successfully for a brand new artist on the scene.

This is a music video for a hardcore/DIY punk band Your Demise who appeal to a relatively niche market compared to artists like Beyonce.

Bearing that in mind, I have to take in consideration what music is selling well at the moment, and what genres of music I am familar with as it is always a good idea to stick to what you know. The two genres that I would really like to explore would be indie/alternative hip hop - artists like King Krule and Jamie T - and the other genre which I am interested in is dance music -  a genre which is becoming increasingly popular, and is featuring more and more in the top UK charts, thanks to artists such as Disclosure and Chase and Status.

A gif of a video taken of Chase and Status' set at Reading Festival main stage 2013 - showing how huge their crowd was (I was up at the front there)

Reading Festival Line-Up Poster 2014

At Reading Festival this year me and my friends, along with thousands of other people went along to many more acts in the dance tent than we did the year before. The dance tent at Reading featured artists such as Netsky, Pendulum DJ set, Aluna George, Secondcity and Sigma; drawing in huge crowds that exceeded the size of the tent. The tent was hugely popular thanks to all of the great acts which were to thank for some of the biggest anthems of the summer.

This is the video for I Wanna Feel - Secondcity, one of the biggest tracks of the summer. This is the sort of song, genre, and style I would like to use for our own music video.

The sort of song I would love to use is something with a feel-good, nostalgic, summer tune which is loved by everyone but young people especially. Something that as soon as you hear it reminds you of your friends, good times, summer evenings and general happiness.