We are hoping to create a digipak for Fear The unknown, and so to aid me with this process I will be looking at digipaks from various artists. I will analyse certain digipaks at a later date, however at this moment in time I will only post examples of digipaks that I have found.
There have been problems with filming, as we were meant to shoot last night, however the drummer (Callum) was ill, and so we have had postpone filming. We hope to begin filming next week, but we will keep you updated on our progress.
This is a video by Kill Switch Engage, and although it is a metal video, it is nothing like any other videos which I have so far seen for this type of music. This is because the video comprises of plasticine models in place of the musicians themselves. I will not be using any of the characteristics show in this video, however I thought I should reference the fact that metal music videos are appearing to become more diverse as the music genre branches out.
In the mid-1980s, the term "indie" began to be used to describe the music produced on post-punk labels rather than the labels themselves. The indie rock scene in the US was prefigured by the college rock that dominated college radio playlists which included key bands like R.E.M. from the US and The Smiths from the UK. A number
of prominent indie rock record labels were founded during the 1980s. These include Washington, DC's Dischord Records in 1980, Seattle's Sub Pop Records in 1986 and New York City's Matador Records and Durham, North Carolina's Merge Records in 1989. Chicago's Touch and Go Records was founded as a fanzine in 1979 and began to release records during the 1980s.
Alternative enters the mainstream
The 1990s brought major changes to the alternative rock scene. Grunge bands such as Soundgarden, Nirvana, Alice in Chains and Pearl Jam broke into the mainstream, achieving commercial chart success and widespread exposure
Mainstream success: 2000s–present
In the 2000s, the changing music industry, the decline in record sales, the growth of new digital technology and increased use of the internet as a tool for music promotion, allowed a new wave of indie rock bands to achieve mainstream success. This new commercial breakthrough and the widespread use of the term indie to other forms of popular culture, led a number of commentators to suggest that indie rock has ceased to be a meaningful term.
Geographical locations:
The Indie social group tend to not have a certain geographical location. People who are Indie are mixed throughout society, and are seen to mix with other culture groups.
Fashion:
Indie fashion tends to be wearing ‘odd’ forms of clothing that many people in mainstream society wouldn’t or don’t wear. For instance, mainstream society wears jeans as their main form of casual trousers, however the Indie cultures main form of trousers is chinos. Indie clothing is becoming more fashionable however, with more and more people conforming to their style, this is shown through the high street brand Topman adopting Indie as its main form of clothing.
Music:
Indie music is primarily music that is ‘independent’ meaning that the band or artist is solely responsible for the publishing and creation of the music among other things. Not all Indie artists conform to this however, but there music to an extent remains the same. Some of the most known Indie bands are Bombay Bicycle Club, Friendly Fires, YUCK and Post War Years.
Related media:
There is no real media coverage of the Indie culture at this moment, with the newspapers shunning them at this moment in time for more controversial culture groups.
What might it be a reaction to?
This might be because this group does not present a danger to the established hegemony of society, and so there is no need to create a moral panic and demonise this culture group.
Vocals - during the song there will be two different types of vocals sang. These will be screamed vocals, and more clean vocals. The screamed vocals will occur frequently - an example shown of where they will occur is during verse 2:
I'm sick of plain corpses crash and burn, no face no recognition
just empty eyes and clotted blood, with no expression
from new born child to rotting man, to just conceived make the incision
sign here to have your name engraved in bold, in f'ing bold
And an example of where clean vocals will appear is in the chorus:
I am, I am the watch tower
I watch, but I only watch them die
the irony is that i'm suicidal
but I cant jump off myself
For the transitions on and surrounding the screamed vocals, the pace will be very fast to reflect this hectic nature. This will contrast with the slower transitions that will be used with the more clean vocals, however it is important to note that these transitions will still be fast in order to keep the audience interested, whilst also committing to the forms of the Metalcore genre.
Here is a video that I believe shows what we are looking for in terms of transitions and shot speeds. Both the transitions and changes between shots are all very fast - connotations of this being the hectic nature of the music, and if we look further the resemblance to the lyrics. I believe that our video will also be similar in that it is solely performance based (as ours will be) and features some similar shots.
Here is a music video that we believe will eventually look similar to ours. The shots featuring the band performing are the shots that we are most interested in as that will be what is featured in our video, and of particular interest is the visuals; e.g. how the lighting is restricted, the fast transitions, and the varied shots.
With reference to a previous post 'Test shots - Lighting and Colouring', the lighting shown in this video is very similar to what we would like to use in our own video. However, the colouring of the shots in this video is not similar to what we will possibly be using, and so I will continue looking for other videos which feature this trait.
The band members positions are also of importance, as we will be using a similar method in the way that the members of FEAR THE UNKNOWN are placed. (drummer at the back etc).
Here are three shots that we will be using in our video: The first shot is one that focuses on the guitar; the second focuses on the band as a whole; and the third is a mid-shot focusing on a guitarist.
After our latest post in which we recieved a reply from Taverham High School, we have got into contact with FEAR THE UNKNOWN in order to try and find a suitable date and time in order to shoot the video.
Youth in British cinema are often portrayed as rebelling against the cultural hegemony that is imposed upon them by the ruling class. In the following answer I will be assessing to the extent at which this done, and if so how.
One of the ways shown in Human Traffic is through Jip’s relationship with his mother. In the fist scene that we see of Jip and his mum, there is a high angle shot looking from his mum’s point of view at Jip. This portrays that his mum is in power, and so immediately in control of the situation. Jip is also seen listening to loud rap music when he arrives at his mum’s house – connotations that he is rebellious to mainstream society. Before Jip enters the house, he says he’ll be in and out in 5 minutes; however as we later discover he isn’t – showing once again that his mum is in control. Throughout the house scene Jip’s body language is always anxious, showing that he is fearful at his mum’s power. His mums power and Jips weakness are once again highlighted when we see in his fantasy Jip challenging his mum’s job, whereas in real life he never would. However, a part in this scene contrasts with the idea that British cinema represents youth in a negative light. Cultural hegemony teaches that people in society should have well respected jobs, however Jip’s mum doesn’t as she works as a prostitute. If British cinema were to portray youth in a negative light they would have shown Jip as having a negative job, not his mother.
There is then a scene with Jip and his boss, in which in another one of Jip’s delusions he is seen to be getting raped by his boss. The connotation of this is that society, and more importantly cultural hegemony is abusing Jip.
Moff is then featured in a later scene, where he is seen to be arguing with his dad over jobs. Moff’s dad is wearing a police uniform, and so is figuratively seen to be the epitome of society’s cultural views.
The television programme Spaced however is different, with the characters seen to be either trying to achieve the goals that cultural hegemony has shown, or abusing the power when the goal has been reached. Tim is seen to want to get a job, conforming to the application of cultural hegemony, “make the best out of this situation”. Mike however is seen to be abusing his power, scaring school children as they walk past him (his job is a lollipop man).
In the loneliness of a long distance runner, the adults are seen to be very authoritarian. One of the ways this is done is by them being called sir, whilst the boys are called by last names. The adults are also wearing more respective clothing, such as suits, compared to the boy’s shorts and t-shirts. Jazz music also features within the shot of ‘smith’ running, and so can be seen as smith, and more importantly youth, as still be rebellious. Smiths body language is also far more relaxed and he looks to be enjoying himself when running, showing youths playful nature at heart. However, there is always a sense of authority looking over him as he is running, this is shown by the many featured shots of trees seen to be towering over smith.
This is just a simple test shoot showing the ideal colouring and lighting that we will be using in our music video. It is also a chance for us to show some of the shots we will be using, and length of the shots. We have also used 'Ken Burns' in the editing of some of the shots, which we hope will enable us to make the video and the shots within it more dynamic.
When editing the video, we used the following aspects to get our ideal shot.
Camera 1 – CMOS, 6.1, Mega pixal, still image recording
These are some high quality cameras, and will allow us to produce some good footage of the band. we will be using either 2 or 3 of these cameras, dependent on how many that we are able to use.
Camera 2 – Sony handy cam, HDV, 108i/min DV
Although this type of camera is not as good as the CMOS camera, they are still useful, and we will be using either 1 or of these cameras, dependent on how many of the CMOS cameras we can use.
Tripod - Manfrotto tripod, (190 x B)
We will be using the tripod within all of our shots bar one, the reason for this being that we would like no movement for most of the shots. Keeping the footage calm for the audience to view would increase their profile, this being one of the key attributes to an up and coming band like FEAR THE UNKNOWN. We will be using as many tripods as there are cameras for our filming.
1)Television documentaries were used for important announcements or events.
2)The ‘host’ or main speaker had a lot of prestige – Michael Parkinson (CBE and knighted)
3)The speaker (Michael Parkinson) was speaking in a very seriousness, and slightly nervous tone.
4)The programme featured specific incidents of ‘ghosts’. See clip at 1:00 for an example.
5)The context of watching the programme however did not add too much tension (as it might have if it were radio).
Personal susceptibility:
1)There weren’t too much economic woes within the country at this point in time; however personal woes such as unemployment may have caused people to be more susceptible to the programme.
2)This show played on the peoples personal fears of ghosts, or the unknown.
3)People who worry a lot would have been greatly affected by this show.
4)Those with low amounts of self confidence would have been more affected by this than those who have a lot of confidence.
5)People who believe in fate, rather than what they can change about the situation may have believed this to a higher degree than others.
6)If people were more religious, I think that they may have been more affected by the ‘ghosts’ as they have already shown an attribute to believe in things they do not necessarily understand.
7)However, the people that attend church regularly might not have been as greatly affected, as they would be able to confide in their faith with others.
1.How can Human Traffic be considered a socialist realist film? You may wish to consider how the film makers technically communicate a social realism, what issues are raised and how they might affect the audience.
One of the ways in which Human Traffic can be considered a social realist film is that many aspects of the film are true in modern society. These being drinking alcohol in large amounts, drug use and the dance scene; all aspects of modern day Britain. The characters in the film can also be related to, with them having genuine jobs they would expect to have in society, and also coming from real homes, such as Moff coming form a middle class family, compared to the stereotypical view that they are all working class families involved in this behaviour. The effect this has on the audience is that they are now able to from a bond between certain characters, as they may be able to relate to them.
2.How does the youth culture depicted resist or subvert mainstream society?
The main way that youth culture is depicted to resist mainstream society is the frequent use of drugs by all of the main characters, as well as most of the other background and bit part actors.
3.How can you consider this film to be British?
One way that this film can be considered to be British is through all of the actors and characters being British, and all of the locations being used also being British. Another way that this film can be depicted as being British is by the excessive use and coverage of alcohol, with Britain being seen as a ‘booze nation’. The coverage of the dance seen can also be seen as helping to depict this film as British, with Britain also being seen as a ‘dancing nation’.
4.To what extent are the characters in Human Traffic unable to express their identity?
Cultural hegemony has helped to restrict the characters from showing their true identity by placing the ideas of mainstream society onto them. One of the ways that this has been done is to give the characters low paid, none expressive jobs. For example, Jip is working as a sales assistant in a clothing chain, which is a world away from his true identity of being a party animal.
This thus creates ‘alternative’ identities for each of the characters. For instance, Koop works as a music salesman, being vocal and boisterous helps him to sell music, whereas his true identity is being a paranoid man. The same can be said of Lulu, where she works as an office worker, which is seen to be boring and mundane, whereas outside of work she is very energetic and likes to party.
5.How is the social-realistic verisimilitude created in the text?
One of the ways that the social realistic verisimilitude is created within the text is by the use of real footage. An example of real footage being used in Human Traffic is the clips at the beginning, showing the UK dance scene. Another way that this effect is created is by the actors looking at the camera, and also by the characters talking to the audience. This gives the audience a sense of a connection with the actors; also it creates the social-realistic verisimilitude within the text. This effect has also been created by the insight that we gain into the private lives and fantasies of the characters, for instance we gain an insight into Jip’s sexual problems.
6.What anxieties does each of the characters have? Where do these anxieties stem?
Jip – sexually paranoid – Family situation (his mum is a prostitute)
Lulu – doesn’t find much to fancy men – possibly because of bad experiences.
Moff – family are down on his behaviour – family situation (they don’t like the way he is living his life)
Koop – paranoia – social practises (possibly because of the amount of drugs he does)
Nina – flirts a lot – British reserve (it’s just in her nature)
7.In consideration of the effects and uses and gratifications model, does Human Traffic promote drug usage?
I do not believe in any way that Human Traffic promotes drug use. There are moments when the film does make you feel that drug use has its benefits, but there are also moments when the audience see that drug use has many flaws. I believe that what Human Traffic does is give an unbiased review on the use of drugs, outlining both its flaws and benefits. For example, although we may see that some of the characters get a ‘buzz’ from it, we can also see the aftermath of drug usage, such as Moff (a frequent user of drugs) saying he will never do it again.
A teenager whose apparent obsession with a violent video game led him to brutally batter a younger friend to death has been detained for life today.
Warren Leblanc lured 14-year-old Stefan Pakeerah to a Leicester park armed with a knife and claw hammer before carrying out the horrific attack in February.
The 17-year-old, who was ordered to serve a minimum of 13 years behind bars by a judge at Leicester Crown Court, claimed he planned to rob the younger boy to repay a £75 debt.
But his victim's parents blamed the violent computer game Manhunt, in which players earn points for stealth killings, for the vicious and prolonged attack on their son.
The court heard that despite publicity surrounding the case which linked the murder to Leblanc's obsession with computer games, this had not formed any part of the case
Roderick PriceQC, defending, said the teenager had been motivated by fear of a gang to whom he owed a small amount of money.
He said: "The reason he killed Stefan is rooted not in video games but in fear - in desperation born of fear.”
Personally I would not blame this crime on ‘Manhunt’, but rather on the individual and his problems with crime and gangs in the first place. If I had to apply a theory, even though personally I do not agree with this, is that the individual could have been following the hypodermic needle model.
I believe that there has also been this thought that the media sends out a message to copy these acts of violence. And I predict that this idea will only ever grow in the future due to the increasing rate at which technology makes us feel that a media experience, is in fact real.
The'hypodermicneedle model' (also known as the hypodermic-syringe model, transmission-belt model, or magic bullet theory) is a model of communications suggesting that an intended message is directly received and wholly accepted by the receiver. The model is rooted in 1930s behaviourism and is largely considered obsolete today.
Two-Step Flow Model
Also known as the'Multistep Flow Model' is a theory based on a 1940's study on social influence that states that media effects are indirectly established through the personal influence of opinion leaders. The majority of people receive much of their information and are influenced by the media second hand, through the personal influence of opinion leaders.
Uses & Gratification Model
Uses and Gratifications Theory is a popular approach to understanding mass communication. The theory places more focus on the consumer, or audience, instead of the actual message itself by asking “what people do with media” rather than “what media does to people” (Katz, 1959) . It assumes that members of the audience are not passive but take an active role in interpreting and integrating media into their own lives.
The theory also holds that audiences are responsible for choosing media to meet their needs. The approach suggests that people use the media to fulfil specific gratifications. This theory would then imply that the media compete against other information sources for viewers' gratification. (Katz, E., Blumler, J. G., & Gurevitch, M. 1974)
One of the reasons why I have chosen this song is that in terms of lyrics, and singing style, it is very similar to that of the Watchtower by FEAR THE UNKNOWN.
For the video, I will be assessing the opening 1 minute, and thoroughly going in depth about a variety of aspects, including the relationship between the visuals and the lyrics, editing, camera angle, camera movement and Mise En Scene.
The editing throughout the video is fast paced and frantic – this is done too create a sense of anger and regret on the singers behalf. This can thus create a relationship with the lyrics being uttered, ‘Sold out the love that she had, left with a cut of the throat’. The lyrics are purposeful and hateful, and this is being emphasized by the quick cuts between shots.
When considering shots, it is important to note that throughout the 1 minute introduction, the shot types change in an effective manner. When the song starts, the angles are often of low angles, and normal level shots of the main singer. However, as the intro continues, the shots tend to fair between normal level shots and high angle shots. This can once again be attributed to a relationship with the lyrics. The lyrics at the beginning portray hatred in the singers voice ‘She starts her new diet of liquor and dick’ (usually featuring low angle shots to show his power/dominance) but as the intro continues, the lyrics become more regretful and sad, ‘The sun goes down, and so does she’ (to show his own vulnerability).
Throughout the introduction, there is no real movement of the camera, with all of the shots being from a fixed position. This in a sense creates irony, as the lyrics being muttered are highly unstable, with great variation, yet the visuals, although greatly moving, are in a fixed manner.
The Mise En Scene within this video is vast in depth. When considering lighting, it is important to note the great variation in the use of light and dark. The singers face and instrument, and on occasion body is often lit up by a bright, harsh light. However, the surrounding space, and on occasion parts of the singer, is blurred into darkness.
The props within this video are also important to consider. The singer appears to be controlled by a demon – and this can be linked to the title of the song, as well as containing vats religious imagery. The link to the name of the song is by demons being evil, and the singer praying for a plague. This can then be ironically linked to religion, as a demon is seen as the opposite to god, and so why would they pray for his help.
Framing is probably the most pivotal aspect of this video however, with around 50% of the screen being blacked out.
I am sorry that there are no screenshots, but my Blog at this time rather annoyingly won’t upload any pictures.
Here is a link to the video:
Lyrics to Pray For Plague :
She starts her new diet of liquor and dick,
Just like Hollywood, but laced in sick,
The sun goes down, and so does she,
The sun goes down, and so does she,
Sold out the love that she had,
left with a cut of the throat,
Drinks all 'round on her
before she strolls to the moat,
The sun goes down, and so does she,
The sun goes down, and so does she,
Oh,
Count,
Count your fucking blessings,
Come on,
Count your blessings, 'cause I'm counting every lie,
Count your blessings, 'cause I'm counting every lie,
Counting every lie,
Christ, I'm asking you for just one thing,
I'm asking you for just one thing,
Eradicate this disease,
Close your eyes, pray for plagues,
Oh Lord, cleanse this Earth and bring upon our dooms day,
Oh, close your eyes, pray for plagues,
Cleanse this Earth and bring dooms day,
She starts her new diet of liquor and dick,
Just like Hollywood, but laced in sick,
The sun goes down, and so does she,
The sun goes down, and so does she,
So clap your hands to the sound of every first born dying now,
Watch the rivers flow with blood,
death will stand where life once stood,
So clap your hands to the sound
of every first born dying now,
Watch the rivers turn to blood,
death will stand where life once stood,
So clap your hands to the sound
of every first born dying now,
Watch this rivers turn to blood,
death will stand where life once stood,
Close your eyes, pray for plagues,
Cleanse this Earth, bring our dooms day
She starts her new diet of liquor and dick,
Just like Hollywood, but laced in sick,
The sun goes down, and so does she,
The sun goes down, and so does she,
Sold out the love that she had,
left with a cut of the throat,
Drinks all 'round on her
before she strolls to the moat,
The sun goes down, and so does she,
The sun goes down, and so does she,
Oh,
Count,
Count your fucking blessings,
Come on,
Count your blessings, 'cause I'm counting every lie,
Count your blessings, 'cause I'm counting every lie,
Counting every lie,
Christ, I'm asking you for just one thing,
I'm asking you for just one thing,
Eradicate this disease,
Close your eyes, pray for plagues,
Oh Lord, cleanse this Earth and bring upon our dooms day,
Oh, close your eyes, pray for plagues,
Cleanse this Earth and bring dooms day,
She starts her new diet of liquor and dick,
Just like Hollywood, but laced in sick,
The sun goes down, and so does she,
The sun goes down, and so does she,
So clap your hands to the sound of every first born dying now,
Watch the rivers flow with blood,
death will stand where life once stood,
So clap your hands to the sound
of every first born dying now,
Watch the rivers turn to blood,
death will stand where life once stood,
So clap your hands to the sound
of every first born dying now,
Watch this rivers turn to blood,
death will stand where life once stood,
Close your eyes, pray for plagues,
Cleanse this Earth, bring our dooms day
Edit - to the below comment:
Shot of singer at a low angle - showing power:
Shot of singer at a high angle - showing vulnerability:
In the editing phase, we will be focusing on having fast, quick-paced shots. The reasons for this being that it follows suit with the music of this genre (metalcore), and it will enable us to create a sense of urgency within the video, helping it to comply with the lyrics.
For the composition of the video, we believe that it would look most striking and relevant to have the video in a black and white style. However, during the editing stage we will evaluate how this looks, and if it is suitable to our video. If it is not, we always have the option to keep the colour, or to fade the contrast of the video.
Take a look at this video by metalcore band The Architects, which features a low contrast in their shots for the video.
The editing of this video is also very important to consider. All of the edits are no longer than 2-3 seconds, creating a fast paced, relentless video. Seeing as the music of our band Fear The Unknown is similar in style to this, it is important to consider having our editing style similar to this.
Story and plot - Robin Loxley returns to England, becomes Robin Hood, and tries to save England from the invading French.
Nationality of stars - Main star born in New Zealand, raised in Australia.
Genre - Action, adventure, drama
Production Company - Universal Pictures
Imagine Entertainment
Relativity Media
Scott Free Productions
Distribution – Worldwide
Braveheart
Story and plot - William witnesses years of tyranny against his country Scotland from neighbouring England. When he is a grown man he fights for Scotland’s freedom against the English.
Nationality of stars - Main star American
Genre - Action, biography, drama, history, war
Production Company - Icon Entertainment International, Ladd Company, The, B.H. Finance C.V.
