Monday 22 October 2007
Gwen Stefani
Like many others this is not my favorite song of all time but I love the video as it plays with so many aspects of Multimedia.
The video starts with Gwen stuck in a rehearsal room 'uninspired', the music starts and she is spun into a virtual world (similar to Wonderland in 'Alice in Wonderland'). The use of multimedia allows her to sing to herself dressed in array of characters including Alice, the White Queen and the Red Queen. The video shoots back to Gwen in the rehearsal room frozen in her chair where the song records itself.
One of the main reasons I like this video is the images, one of my favorite being the Giant Gwen inside the house with the lyric "Take a chance coz you might grow". The image fits perfectly to the lyric. It uses similar techniques to the 'Model 5' video we saw in class, repeating still images in different ways in time to the music.
At the end of the video Gwens virtual world becomes a reality as she picks up the mic and sings to the girls. For me, the image of Gwen growing out of the house always remains in my head for days! Anyho hope you enjoy!
Prodigy - Smack my bitch up
In my view, this music video is one of the most thought provoking videos I have seen. Although on the surface it seems to be yet another depiction of a drunken and drug fueled "night out", the prodigy have succesfuly taken a cliche and turned it around to address the stereotypical view of a man and taboos around the behaviour of women.
The video takes the viewer on a night out through the eyes of what is asumed to be a man. We dont see "his" image until the end, but the assumtion is made as we experience drugs, scruffy trainers, kebabs, drunken fights and eventually ending up in a strip club and steeling a car. This behaviour is associated with a male youth, possibly early twenties. "He" takes a girl back to his flat and the song ends with a suggestive sequence depicting sex. The woman takes her clothes and leaves and suddenly a reflection of the protagonist is seen and it becomes clear that we have experienced a night out through the eyes of a woman, not a man. This is immediately shocking, but thought provoking in the sense that this is extremely unexpected. It is seen as a taboo for a woman to behave in this manner.
Aswell as addressing questions to do with behaviour, this video also is filmed very effectively. It gives the viewer a real sense of the alcohol taking control as the video goes on, and through the music becoming more and more disjointed, a sense of depression, frustration and anger is really achieved.
The video takes the viewer on a night out through the eyes of what is asumed to be a man. We dont see "his" image until the end, but the assumtion is made as we experience drugs, scruffy trainers, kebabs, drunken fights and eventually ending up in a strip club and steeling a car. This behaviour is associated with a male youth, possibly early twenties. "He" takes a girl back to his flat and the song ends with a suggestive sequence depicting sex. The woman takes her clothes and leaves and suddenly a reflection of the protagonist is seen and it becomes clear that we have experienced a night out through the eyes of a woman, not a man. This is immediately shocking, but thought provoking in the sense that this is extremely unexpected. It is seen as a taboo for a woman to behave in this manner.
Aswell as addressing questions to do with behaviour, this video also is filmed very effectively. It gives the viewer a real sense of the alcohol taking control as the video goes on, and through the music becoming more and more disjointed, a sense of depression, frustration and anger is really achieved.
Elektrons "Get up"
ok, so i hope this works, but if it doesn't i do apologise...
Right..this is the Elektrons, with "Get up", featuring Soup from Jurassic Five and the vocalist Pete Simpson. The video, much like the music, refers back to a really 'old school' style, featuring original footage from New York's breakdance and Disco scene. Much like alot of Soups work with Jurassic Five, the mc's lyrics have a positive feel, and the timing of this tracks re-release, 1st August, meant it was still in time to make an impact as a summer party anthem. The graffiti styled animation is a classical style, using well known symbols like the bombox with wings or the green robot. I especially like the way they merge the 'old school' footage with this classical style
in the disco sequence, animating original footage by highlighting several features on womens faces. This gives the old footage a new feel.
I think the real reason I enjoy watching it is because its just nice to see footage I have seen before transformed into something totally different and freshly inspiring.
I hope you all enjoy it, I just think it is very cool. :)
Right..this is the Elektrons, with "Get up", featuring Soup from Jurassic Five and the vocalist Pete Simpson. The video, much like the music, refers back to a really 'old school' style, featuring original footage from New York's breakdance and Disco scene. Much like alot of Soups work with Jurassic Five, the mc's lyrics have a positive feel, and the timing of this tracks re-release, 1st August, meant it was still in time to make an impact as a summer party anthem. The graffiti styled animation is a classical style, using well known symbols like the bombox with wings or the green robot. I especially like the way they merge the 'old school' footage with this classical style
in the disco sequence, animating original footage by highlighting several features on womens faces. This gives the old footage a new feel.
I think the real reason I enjoy watching it is because its just nice to see footage I have seen before transformed into something totally different and freshly inspiring.
I hope you all enjoy it, I just think it is very cool. :)
Sunday 21 October 2007
Blur
Whilst the song is by no means exciting, this video really livens the mood of it, due to its cute, unexpected nature. The video finds us sympathising with the inanimate object of a milk carton, who goes in search of Blur’s guitarist, Graham Coxon. The video itself is a tale of child-like innocence, as the milk carton takes its steps out of the fridge, and into the big bad world.
Whilst on his journey, the milk carton sees the harsh reality of life, he falls in love, only to see her perish, he sees that ‘Big Suzy’ (who claims to make all his dreams come true) isn’t quite the angelic oracle that he anticipates, as he is greeted by a hooker at the door. The video itself is very clever, as the interaction between the Ray Harry-Hausen esque stop-motion carton and the live action is seamless, and this owes itself to Jim Henson’s genius.
The fact that the carton ‘dies’ at the end of the film demonstrates a reflection on society, that you don’t always get the rewards that you deserve for undertaking selfless acts. Through the course of the video, the viewer is drawn to care for the carton, and even the hardiest of Blur fans will feel more than just a little resentment towards Coxon for drinking, and killing the carton at the end of the video.
Whilst on his journey, the milk carton sees the harsh reality of life, he falls in love, only to see her perish, he sees that ‘Big Suzy’ (who claims to make all his dreams come true) isn’t quite the angelic oracle that he anticipates, as he is greeted by a hooker at the door. The video itself is very clever, as the interaction between the Ray Harry-Hausen esque stop-motion carton and the live action is seamless, and this owes itself to Jim Henson’s genius.
The fact that the carton ‘dies’ at the end of the film demonstrates a reflection on society, that you don’t always get the rewards that you deserve for undertaking selfless acts. Through the course of the video, the viewer is drawn to care for the carton, and even the hardiest of Blur fans will feel more than just a little resentment towards Coxon for drinking, and killing the carton at the end of the video.
Sigur Ros
untitled #1 (Vaka)
Directed by Floria Sigismondi (2003)
I would like to say that as with their music, Sigur Ros videos exhibit a fascination with childhood, slowed moments of time and emotional fragility. However, my interpretation of their music is drawn mostly from the imagery (from cd covers to the videos) which accompanies their work. This especially the case with Untitled #1, which is from the album ( ) which, yes, was released without titles for the album or the songs it contained. In addition all the lyrics in ( ) are in Hopelandic, the band's made up language which resembles the sounds of Icelandic words but has no literal translation. The idea is that the listener should be able to draw their own meaning.
In the face of this, Sigismondi's video presents a strong narratisation of the song. The image of the children in gas masks (an image that is reminiscent of Banksy’s little girls hugging bombs) portentously creates a pop culture statement about the world our children might inherit. A little pretentious perhaps but it is also non-representational, which works for a video that is trying to evoke something profound. If the band appeared, looking po-faced, then it would be on the cusp of the perilous slope which takes us to Michael Jackson’s Earth Song.
I like the fact that the video starts with abstract images, a colour, a texture, and a quality of movement. It is like a title board which suggests that this is one visual interpretation of a sound which could be taken in many directions. I like the contrast between the home video realism of the first scenes in the school and the post-apocalyptic grandeur of the playground because it matches the musical style of the band, that signature slow build up to a dramatic burst which elicits an emotional response. The way Sigismondi’s jittery camera style catches those slowed moments- a widening eye behind the glass of a mask- is fantastic.
Directed by Floria Sigismondi (2003)
I would like to say that as with their music, Sigur Ros videos exhibit a fascination with childhood, slowed moments of time and emotional fragility. However, my interpretation of their music is drawn mostly from the imagery (from cd covers to the videos) which accompanies their work. This especially the case with Untitled #1, which is from the album ( ) which, yes, was released without titles for the album or the songs it contained. In addition all the lyrics in ( ) are in Hopelandic, the band's made up language which resembles the sounds of Icelandic words but has no literal translation. The idea is that the listener should be able to draw their own meaning.
In the face of this, Sigismondi's video presents a strong narratisation of the song. The image of the children in gas masks (an image that is reminiscent of Banksy’s little girls hugging bombs) portentously creates a pop culture statement about the world our children might inherit. A little pretentious perhaps but it is also non-representational, which works for a video that is trying to evoke something profound. If the band appeared, looking po-faced, then it would be on the cusp of the perilous slope which takes us to Michael Jackson’s Earth Song.
I like the fact that the video starts with abstract images, a colour, a texture, and a quality of movement. It is like a title board which suggests that this is one visual interpretation of a sound which could be taken in many directions. I like the contrast between the home video realism of the first scenes in the school and the post-apocalyptic grandeur of the playground because it matches the musical style of the band, that signature slow build up to a dramatic burst which elicits an emotional response. The way Sigismondi’s jittery camera style catches those slowed moments- a widening eye behind the glass of a mask- is fantastic.
A-Ha "Take On Me"
It may be a favourite in top 100 lists, countdown TV shows, 80’s compilations and consequently a cliché choice but I love it. A mixture, (like Justice’s ‘D.A.N.C.E.’,) of live action and animation which perhaps works most effectively when combined in the same frame. Of course in this output from 1985, computer generated graphics are not in use.
A technique called rotoscoping is employed, whereby the action is shot on ordinary film then each frame is traced over by hand to produce the animation. This decision creates a work that over twenty years later is still visually impressive.
In terms of remediation this video is a palimpsest- remediating the actors' original performance to film, remediating film to animation then layering the two to create a third medium, that of celluloid and cartoon combined.
Aesthetically it couldn’t be any more of its time- the clothes, the hair, the melodrama, the synth driven pop, the sidestepping dance moves, even the sketchy cartoon style seems inseparable from what we retrospectively consider to be ‘the 80’s.’ Combined with a strangely compelling (if not bizarre) plot, this video stands up as a classic.
A technique called rotoscoping is employed, whereby the action is shot on ordinary film then each frame is traced over by hand to produce the animation. This decision creates a work that over twenty years later is still visually impressive.
In terms of remediation this video is a palimpsest- remediating the actors' original performance to film, remediating film to animation then layering the two to create a third medium, that of celluloid and cartoon combined.
Aesthetically it couldn’t be any more of its time- the clothes, the hair, the melodrama, the synth driven pop, the sidestepping dance moves, even the sketchy cartoon style seems inseparable from what we retrospectively consider to be ‘the 80’s.’ Combined with a strangely compelling (if not bizarre) plot, this video stands up as a classic.
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