Thursday, 8 May 2014
CCC Background
Car Chase City are a 4-piece band from the Belfast area founded in January 2013 Car chase are a band heavily influenced by punk-rock and it's respective sub-genres with Encore N.I noting "Car Chase City's unique take on American styled punk rock" the review also go on to talk about the bands "infectious enthusiasm" and their "boundless energy", Car Chase city are a band with a growing reputation
Saturday, 3 May 2014
Conclusions
From examining and analyzing all of our research and various similar styled videos we have come to numerous conclusions on the Punk genre, concepts as well as codes and conventions prevalent throughout the music and finally how we will end up using these to influence our final piece.
We have made crucial progress with this stage of the course, from the early defining of codes and conventions and further concreting our influences and methods to which we have analysed and adopted stylings from many similar artists and their respective music videos (album art and websites).
The conclusions we have made throughout this journey have allowed us insight into how to target our chosen target audience and demographic in accordance with the codes and conventions of the punk genre.
Some conclusions we have came to are as followed:
- Dark environemt is critical
- Lighting is important
- Emotive close ups are very common
- Groups shots are also
- Taboo topics and actions are often performed (drinking smoking drugs etc)
- Live performance is essential
- Narrative is often told in exaggerated ways
We have made crucial progress with this stage of the course, from the early defining of codes and conventions and further concreting our influences and methods to which we have analysed and adopted stylings from many similar artists and their respective music videos (album art and websites).
The conclusions we have made throughout this journey have allowed us insight into how to target our chosen target audience and demographic in accordance with the codes and conventions of the punk genre.
Some conclusions we have came to are as followed:
- Dark environemt is critical
- Lighting is important
- Emotive close ups are very common
- Groups shots are also
- Taboo topics and actions are often performed (drinking smoking drugs etc)
- Live performance is essential
- Narrative is often told in exaggerated ways
Friday, 2 May 2014
Similar Products
As already stated we have researched in great detail many other music videos while retaining our focues on the Pop-Punk Genre yet we explored the alternative rock and grunge styled music videos aswell as these would further help us implement the bands influences to correlate with other music videos which are inspired by these genres, these music videos ranged from the following artists:
- Greenday (Basket case) (Holiday) (Boulevard of Broken Dreams) (American Idiot)
- Blink 182 (All the Small Things) (Up until Midnight)
- Biffy Clyro
- Rancid
- Rise Against (Savior)
- Paramore (Misery Business)
- Alien Ant Farm (Smooth Criminal - Cover)
- Shine Down
- Jimmy Eat World
- Foo Fighters (The Pretender) (Walk) (Rope)
- New Found Glory
All these music videos by these artists contain various elements that we wish to inform our final piece with, all these videos and artists as such and as already previously stated fall into the pop Punk genre or contain elements from the Grunge or alternative rock genres that work in correlation with the influences and styles of the band our efforts are focused on.
We also researched a vast selections of album and EP covers of various artists within these genres and through analysis we were able to draw numerous conclusions that would further help inform our final piece.
We finally researched website layout and design of a number of these bands official websites we looked into the following: its aesthetics, audio present, user friendliness/accessibility, colour scheme, whether it was modern/simple/complex or intricate in design and numerous other features that would further inform our final piece.
- Greenday (Basket case) (Holiday) (Boulevard of Broken Dreams) (American Idiot)
- Blink 182 (All the Small Things) (Up until Midnight)
- Biffy Clyro
- Rancid
- Rise Against (Savior)
- Paramore (Misery Business)
- Alien Ant Farm (Smooth Criminal - Cover)
- Shine Down
- Jimmy Eat World
- Foo Fighters (The Pretender) (Walk) (Rope)
- New Found Glory
All these music videos by these artists contain various elements that we wish to inform our final piece with, all these videos and artists as such and as already previously stated fall into the pop Punk genre or contain elements from the Grunge or alternative rock genres that work in correlation with the influences and styles of the band our efforts are focused on.
We also researched a vast selections of album and EP covers of various artists within these genres and through analysis we were able to draw numerous conclusions that would further help inform our final piece.
We finally researched website layout and design of a number of these bands official websites we looked into the following: its aesthetics, audio present, user friendliness/accessibility, colour scheme, whether it was modern/simple/complex or intricate in design and numerous other features that would further inform our final piece.
Informing our Final Piece
So far with regards to research and development we have explored the codes and conventions of the Punk/Pop-punk genre (energetic movements, poor hygiene - spitting etc, group shots of entire band, unique looks, selling points, shock factor, humour or seriousness, deep meanings behind lyrics or parody styled songs etc.). We have also obtained results of numerous surveys covering personal taste in music, opinions and influences from not only punk bands (Green day/Blink-182) but also bands from the alternative rock and grunge genre (Biffy Clyro/ Alter-bridge). This allowed us to get a taste of what people like from each genre, what is the unique selling point, what is visually attracting and what is influential to the viewer.
Next we researched various elements of the Punk genre, from fashion, morals, spends, demographics and the target audience we learned where to target our work and what is most effective to engage them as a result. So far we have researched what the Punk Genre is, its history, the people, their social interests, their culture, how they interact with each other, the diversity contained within the subculture and essentially the evolution of the punk genre. This combined with the research into codes and conventions, demographics, target audience and the results gained from our surveys we have begun to inform certain aspects of our final piece music video.
Our next step involved researching various music videos of the punk genre, the choice of music videos to research was influenced by our surveys and as a result we knew where to focus our attention to on certain aspects prevalent throughout the videos.
The first video we looked at was the parody song "all the small things" - Blink-182. From this song we were able to deduce that the band had created its own unique look (in Blink's case this was the three band members each having their own unique style with gelled spiked hair, piercings, shorts, colourful T-shirts and comedic attire from giant diapers etc.) this unique look created a memorable impression of the band on the viewer no matter how strange it my seem, we wish this aspect to inform our music video - to create a unique look, one that creates a lasting impression on the viewer.
Also from this video various technical aspects can be perceived such as shot types (Group shots are most prevalent, with typically mid shots also commonly zooming into close ups of the band members, focus pulls are often common as are untraditional almost unnatural styled transitions such as blurs while reverse zooming. Scenic panning shots are also commonly seen as they gradually reveal more of the band or more of the scenery or backdrop. Wide and two shots are also seen repeatedly these are used to create a more grunge styled atmosphere which is nicely contrasted with the upbeat and colourful instruments vocals and saturation. It's also worth noting that the misé en scene, lighting and props all follow the codes and conventions of the punk genre, as they retain the surreal saturated vibrant exaggerated atmosphere common to the genre and over emphasise certain elements for comedic effect along with the introduction of taboo elements and toilet humour to further "poke fun" at the target of this parody while keeping it funny, unique, weird and engaging for the audience, this is also fairly common of the Punk genre. We wish to include certain elements reminiscent of these aspects in our music video, such as the group shots, shots of the instruments either in use or as a prop, the introduction of a surreal atmosphere to further emphasise the narrative contained within the music video, possible panning shots to reveal the environment to emphasise the narrative further.
One thing we found prevalent in this video and also in many others of this genre was the lack of a filter (common in the Punk genre), but what is used quite frequently in its place is an exaggerated over saturation (as shown in "all the small things" and "basket case") this overuse of colour creates a virtual world, in which any non-realistic narrative can be told. It became apparent in this video that the narrative was not intended to be serious nor was it intended to represent reality, rather it creates an exaggerated representation of reality where it is ok for people to be dancing in giant diapers infront of crowds of fans etc. and the audience doesn't question it, they are drawn into the narrative through this exaggerated and unrealistic atmosphere.
Yet while over saturation is extremely common of the punk genre so is its polar opposite, undersaturation. This is the inclusion of only minimal colour to create a more serious grunge styled atmosphere, this is not a monotone filter this is just a desaturation of the natural colours present (as shown in "after midnight" and ''up all night") this creates a more realistic portrayal of a narrative in a music video, it suddenly becomes more 'real', emotive and hard hitting, this is often accompanied by more serious styled lyrics and resulting narrative. This knowledge and research has influenced our intentions on how we approach our final piece, we have decided to approach it with a more serious and mature attitude common with this style prevalent in the punk genre, the use of desaturated filter ( yet possibly with the inclusion of over saturated elements such as instruments to contrast against). This has also influenced our decision on narrative, we wish now to approach also with more serious intentions as opposed to a humorous or parody song.
Overall it became clear while watching this video and others that certain conventions are common and to be expected within the Pop-Punk Genre, from lyrics, to shot types, filters, clothing, movements, narrative and the combination of scenes of drama and of the band playing. From these we were able to find the typical location (usually a deserted environment such as a warehouse or a skate park), the lighting is usually dark with crisp casted shadows created from an artificial light source which is come cases shown (floodlights etc.) this convnetion can be contrasted though in some videos which have bright environments but retain the sense of isolation or create an eccentric exaggerated environment.
Next we researched various elements of the Punk genre, from fashion, morals, spends, demographics and the target audience we learned where to target our work and what is most effective to engage them as a result. So far we have researched what the Punk Genre is, its history, the people, their social interests, their culture, how they interact with each other, the diversity contained within the subculture and essentially the evolution of the punk genre. This combined with the research into codes and conventions, demographics, target audience and the results gained from our surveys we have begun to inform certain aspects of our final piece music video.
Our next step involved researching various music videos of the punk genre, the choice of music videos to research was influenced by our surveys and as a result we knew where to focus our attention to on certain aspects prevalent throughout the videos.
The first video we looked at was the parody song "all the small things" - Blink-182. From this song we were able to deduce that the band had created its own unique look (in Blink's case this was the three band members each having their own unique style with gelled spiked hair, piercings, shorts, colourful T-shirts and comedic attire from giant diapers etc.) this unique look created a memorable impression of the band on the viewer no matter how strange it my seem, we wish this aspect to inform our music video - to create a unique look, one that creates a lasting impression on the viewer.
Also from this video various technical aspects can be perceived such as shot types (Group shots are most prevalent, with typically mid shots also commonly zooming into close ups of the band members, focus pulls are often common as are untraditional almost unnatural styled transitions such as blurs while reverse zooming. Scenic panning shots are also commonly seen as they gradually reveal more of the band or more of the scenery or backdrop. Wide and two shots are also seen repeatedly these are used to create a more grunge styled atmosphere which is nicely contrasted with the upbeat and colourful instruments vocals and saturation. It's also worth noting that the misé en scene, lighting and props all follow the codes and conventions of the punk genre, as they retain the surreal saturated vibrant exaggerated atmosphere common to the genre and over emphasise certain elements for comedic effect along with the introduction of taboo elements and toilet humour to further "poke fun" at the target of this parody while keeping it funny, unique, weird and engaging for the audience, this is also fairly common of the Punk genre. We wish to include certain elements reminiscent of these aspects in our music video, such as the group shots, shots of the instruments either in use or as a prop, the introduction of a surreal atmosphere to further emphasise the narrative contained within the music video, possible panning shots to reveal the environment to emphasise the narrative further.
One thing we found prevalent in this video and also in many others of this genre was the lack of a filter (common in the Punk genre), but what is used quite frequently in its place is an exaggerated over saturation (as shown in "all the small things" and "basket case") this overuse of colour creates a virtual world, in which any non-realistic narrative can be told. It became apparent in this video that the narrative was not intended to be serious nor was it intended to represent reality, rather it creates an exaggerated representation of reality where it is ok for people to be dancing in giant diapers infront of crowds of fans etc. and the audience doesn't question it, they are drawn into the narrative through this exaggerated and unrealistic atmosphere.
Yet while over saturation is extremely common of the punk genre so is its polar opposite, undersaturation. This is the inclusion of only minimal colour to create a more serious grunge styled atmosphere, this is not a monotone filter this is just a desaturation of the natural colours present (as shown in "after midnight" and ''up all night") this creates a more realistic portrayal of a narrative in a music video, it suddenly becomes more 'real', emotive and hard hitting, this is often accompanied by more serious styled lyrics and resulting narrative. This knowledge and research has influenced our intentions on how we approach our final piece, we have decided to approach it with a more serious and mature attitude common with this style prevalent in the punk genre, the use of desaturated filter ( yet possibly with the inclusion of over saturated elements such as instruments to contrast against). This has also influenced our decision on narrative, we wish now to approach also with more serious intentions as opposed to a humorous or parody song.
Overall it became clear while watching this video and others that certain conventions are common and to be expected within the Pop-Punk Genre, from lyrics, to shot types, filters, clothing, movements, narrative and the combination of scenes of drama and of the band playing. From these we were able to find the typical location (usually a deserted environment such as a warehouse or a skate park), the lighting is usually dark with crisp casted shadows created from an artificial light source which is come cases shown (floodlights etc.) this convnetion can be contrasted though in some videos which have bright environments but retain the sense of isolation or create an eccentric exaggerated environment.
Thursday, 1 May 2014
Music Video
Below is our Music Video for the song: I'm Not Drunk (I'm Just Feeling A Little Strange) by Car Chase City.
Tuesday, 29 April 2014
Further Informing our Final Piece
So far we have in great detail analysed numerous music videos of the Pop-punk genre and a few more Grunge styled videos as well. By doing this we have inevitably came up with a few conclusions in which have informed our planning for our final piece, here are some of the eye-catching elements of many videos that have informed us greatly and we would like to include:
- The Pretender (Foo Fighters) - There is a unique colour effect used in this video without the use of any artificial overlays, the floor, set, props, instruments, and lights are all white with a black trim (the black trim is used to contrast the white and highlight detail). The use of this monochromatic style means that the atmosphere appears crisp and void of colour, this means that the only two colours present (the red background and Dave Grohl's skin tone) are emphasised. This was a very unique style similar to the effect used in Sin City, it draws attention to certain elements of the video especially the lonely isolated atmosphere and lighting and shadow effects which was the greatest influence we took from this video. Close ups full of emotion are also common throughout this video as it tries to create an emotive response in the viewer. A battle scene involving a line of charging riot police in full riot gear is shown, this highlights the importance of costume and actors within a music video and how it affects the atmosphere. The burst of red flooding the environment similar to that in American Idiot is also a unique effect that we wish to emulate with our final piece, it adds a dynamic nature to the video and enhances the narrative, this could possibly be emulated with the use of the vibrations from an amplifier. Live performance is essential, narrative is included sometimes but is primarily focused around the live performance of the band. These concepts have influenced our thinking tremendously and therefore have caused use to alter and inform our ideas for this final piece, these elements will in turn help us appeal to the desired audience through the use of interesting and unique cuts and transitions typical of these codes and conventions.
- Savior (Rise Against) - the video opens with a very unique Punk style, it begins with a red flare bursting out of the dark background, this creates a contrast of colour which may be a very aesthetically pleasing method of introducing our music video, possibly with the lens flare from a strong light source as opposed to a flare. Colour again in this first scene is limited to a dark background and one single source of colour and light. The location similarly is again abandoned and isolated. The next scene features a shaky cam emulating the movement of a bus to heighten the element of the narrative and giving it a sense of realism but as with many Punk videos is contrasted with a sense of exaggeration or essentially some unnatural aspects such as the costume design of the actor wearing the teddy bear suit. This is addressed further with a close up of the bears face again this choice of camera technique is very common of the punk genre. Again the band is seen primarily doing live performance with a dynamic narrative interweaved in between the various cuts. The cuts are rarely static and nearly always in constant motion with the use of tracking shots, zooms and reverse zooms, this is used to further emphasise the energetic nature of the music. We wish to use numerous of these mentioned elements in our video to further increase the dynamic and aesthetically pleasing nature of the video and appeal more to our target audience by essentially making the video more ''interesting''.
- Misery Business (Paramore) - The video begins by showing a live performance of the band playing in a confined room with black walls and the words ''Riot'' written in white, this technique causes the album of the same name to be further promoted, we may wish to emulate this as a result. The band is dressed in very exaggerated and colourful attire, their clothing is bright, unusual and eye-catching again to contrast the isolated and confined background. The beginning of the video uses numerous short cuts with swift cuts, this combined with the bands energetic movements creates a fast paced narrative opening and makes everything seem more epic and grand in dynamic. The video cuts throughout between the bands live performance (which was established first creating a sense that this is the main focus of the video). The narrative throughout is again humorous and relatable yet is portrayed in an unnatural and realistic manner, typical of the punk genre. The shot types throughout appear to try to capture the attention of several demographics by having flashing cuts to the legs of a group of cheerleaders in an attempt to interest typically male teenagers, wide shots of the band, tracking shots as characters walk down the hall, zooms and reverse zooms to draw attention to certain characters or musical instruments. The cameras movement resembles the the bands movements in being in constant motion creating a sense of urgency and close ups are used to further display the actors emotions and emphasise them as a result. Mid shots, over the shoulder shots and two shots are used to suggest that characters on screen are conversing. One shot that we are very interested in recreating is when the lead singer grabs the camera and shakes it lightly, this emotive action and interaction with the camera emulates interaction with the audience by breaking the third wall essentially. We would greatly like these elements to inform our final outcome, especially the isolated background, costume and energetic shot types.
- Smooth Criminal - Cover (Alien Ant Farm) - This again similarly to All the small things by Blink-182 is a parody esque video of a song cover originally performed by Michael Jackson.
- American Idiot (GreenDay) - The Video opens with framed far shot of the subject and lead singer, the rule of two thirds is obeyed here as musical and tech equipment is shown closer to the screen. On the right side of the screen a rendered camera perspective is visible also, this is used to convey that he is on set, he is being recorded through not only the camera with which we a re viewing him but also through the lens of this camera and studio equipment swell, this gives a certain sense of realism and surrealism to the video. This technique of opening with a framed shot showing studio equipment surrounding the subject(s) and the desolate environment to set the isolated atmosphere instantly seems fairly typical of the genre and also aesthetically pleasing. The attire of the band is also common of the codes and conventions of the genre, black dress shirt, jeans with a 'fleur' of red colour, this combination of dark and vibrant tones creates a stark contrast which works in correlation with the set design and lyrics of the song. Swift cuts occur throughout the video switching back and forth from the rendered screen on the piece of equipment which initially while being shown with static styled effects displays the bands logo and album artwork - the Grenade heart. Other cuts show a reverse zoom from the camera, a low mid shot of the singer and his guitar, blurred and out of frame shots and others to create a sense of almost rebellion - they communicate a sense that the video appears almost anti-professional (through the use of these unique techniques) (yet they are performed and edited on the contrary). Another unique technique used in the video is the rotating drum kit, which is used in correlation with the eccentric and exaggerated movements and facial expressions of the member. The makeup of the band members especially the lead singer (eye-liner) is on show and is especially visible during the close ups of the audiences face. certain effects are prevalent throughout such as flashes, blurs and many unique transactions. As stated in earlier posts, the technique used in the exploding background, with the green liquid flooding the environent is a technique we also wish to emulate.
Wednesday, 16 April 2014
Narrative Of Final Piece
In our music video the following occurs:
The band pulls up in their car, exits the car and enters a practice venue fitted with the various pieces of equipment shown. They begin to set up and tune their equipment all while talking to each other, having ''banter'' with each other and drinking. In a certain sense this is the narrative of the music video. While the main images shown after this point is the band practicing and eventually playing in front of an audience, (this is all purely live performance which is in correlation with the codes and conventions of the Pop-Punk genre) yet the inclusion of the images in between these segments of the band ''messing around'', chatting and getting ready to perform and practice etc. is essentially a document of the bands typical day. How they react, how they engage with each other, how they set up and eventually perform. This is the narrative element of our final piece.
Tuesday, 15 April 2014
Editing
We used Final Cut Pro X to edit the footage shot from a camera. Firstly we spliced together the various scenes, isolated certain live performance images such as close ups or group shots, then we synced these various parts by cutting certain scenes if for instance if something that isn't supposed to be filmed is accidentally caught on camera. Then we built upon this foundation to mix the narrative with the live performance.
After a period of editing the timeline was complete (bar one scene to be filmed at a later date) we decided to overlay an undersaturated isolating colour effect over the early scenes (similar to the black and white element in our animatic - we decided this action was more aesthetically pleasing). Then for later scenes we used an over saturating colour effect over the live performance and practice scenes. Finally for the guitar break later in the song we over emphasised the shaky cam effect to incite a more impactful response in the viewer combined with a flashing effect for further emphasise.
We decided to omit the use of transactions in our music video, we felt this was the correct decision to make the video more interesting and as professional looking as possible.
After a period of editing the timeline was complete (bar one scene to be filmed at a later date) we decided to overlay an undersaturated isolating colour effect over the early scenes (similar to the black and white element in our animatic - we decided this action was more aesthetically pleasing). Then for later scenes we used an over saturating colour effect over the live performance and practice scenes. Finally for the guitar break later in the song we over emphasised the shaky cam effect to incite a more impactful response in the viewer combined with a flashing effect for further emphasise.
We decided to omit the use of transactions in our music video, we felt this was the correct decision to make the video more interesting and as professional looking as possible.
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