This album cover for the Beatles was revolutionary at the time as it was considered a piece of art. The album was designed by an artist, Peter Blake and created a pop art effect by using bright colours. The use of flowers are code for peace and adds an almost 'hippy' effect to the cover and this therefore reflects on the band. Another code is that there is a drum in the centre of the cover, maybe a symbolic representation that music is at the centre of their lives. The drum and their costumes are conventions of a military band however the colours used undermines the typical conventions.
In the image there are other people apart from the band, they are standing with famous/legendary people but the band are centered in the middle, code for their own significance and maybe a code for their future success.
The setting of clear blue skies are code for freedom and hope and the palm trees represent the bands breaking away from their British persona, it has the typical conventions of them being on an island, seperate from us.
The words are written in blood 'Michael Jackson "Thriller"' at the start of the video, this is a typical convention of horror. We then hear diegetic sounds of crickets to emphasise realism which sets the scene. The music video involves cinematic conventions as we see a tracking shot of the car, the scene is set at night which is a code for the genre 'horror'.
The costume of the girl is a code for innocence as she is wearing a long 'girly' skirt and a bow in her hair. Michael Jackson is wearing his now iconic costume of red which is code for danger and love, this is relevant in the music video as they seem to be in love and could also be foreshadowing events to come, which indicate to the reader that the music video title "thriller" might happen in the video.
The non-diegetic spooky music of the unveiling of the moon is a code for horror and a typical convention. A series of close-ups convey the changes of him morphing into the creature and it is clear for the audience to see her reactions to him. Typical convention of the girl screaming and running away from danger.
The setting of the chase takes place in a remote area, which is a typical convention of the genre horror as it set in a forest and it is misty.
The next shot is of them sitting in a cinema as if they were apart of the audience conveying the image of a film within a film which makes the audience aware what they are watching and also plays with them as they begin to be unsure what is real and what isn't. Their dialogue ends and we have an establishing shot of the cinema with music video's name 'Thriller" and the name 'Vincent Price' who raps in this video. The music then starts and the camera then pans down. The audience then becomes aware that the artist is involved within the song which breaks typical conventions of other music videos.
There is an establishing shot of the misty grave yard so the audience understand where the action is about to take place. The narrative continues along with a narration then speaks over it, with the music still playing silently in the background.
The eery music playing is a typical convention of a horror film but then the music puts a new twist on it and experiments with genres that haven't been put together before. The hybridity makes the music Post-Modern. As they use different genres the music video has to have an equal balance of film and narrative. The titles at the end of the film are conventions of a film, this then makes the audience aware that they were watching a text, this contains the elements of post-modernism.
The video opens with classic mise en scene with two lovers holding hands. Wide angle shot with the two actors in a field of bright flowers which is code for young love and happiness. The intimate camera shots focuses on their close relationship, their positions of looking into each others eyes.
The music video starts with a narrative which shows the audience that the music video is going to follow a story. This is a typical convention for a music video to have a narrative.
The style of filming is cinematic in its scope, the band have enlisted the help of famous actors and the style of a film by having a clear plot.
As she closes her eyes the non-diegetic music begins and the next shot is of the lead singer and a close-up on his eyes therefore interlinking the narrative and the band playing.
The middle section of the music video where the dialogue and the narrative takes over. The narrative plays along with the band. the music mirrors the action.
The band is in a mid-shot on stage as if their performing live this is a convention of a music video as they usually are performing if they have a narrative running with it.
When the action of the narrative needs to have more of an impact the edits become quicker and the music seems to get louder and creates a climax. To show the action clearly, in some shots the action has been slowed down so the audience can see what is happening. The music and the narrative are parallel.
The background for the band is red as this is code for danger and love. However in this context it is code for both, the danger of the boy in the army and the love he has left behind. The colour red is also iconic to the band. The colours used seem to get darker as the music video progresses, the bands costume is wearing all black which is also iconic to them and the tone and mood of the song.
Me and Jack decided to practice our lip-syncing before we had to make our pre-lim. We randomly chose a song that we had a relatively good idea of what the lyrics were and it is an upbeat tune so it was easier for us to have fun with it.
By doing this we have learnt a lot as we now have a rough idea on how to lip-sync and discovered that we do work well together. It also gave us a few ideas for our prelim task.
This music video is called Ghetto Gospel which is oxymonoric as the two words don't go together and this also applies to the two artists, as Elton John is more of a rock and soulful singer whereas 2Pac is the opposite as he is a rapper.
Already we know that the music video is going to involve crime and religion as the title 'Ghetto Gospel' indicates and gives the audience a clue to what the video is going to be about if it follows a narrative. But as a viewer we are intrigued to how the artists are going to achieve this.
The music video begins with diegetic sounds of a helicopter which is code for crime and the typical convention of it happening at night and raining as well which adds to the setting. There is a point of view shot which creates a feeling that as a viewer you are somehow there or seeing it through someone else's eyes which makes it more personal to you. Still hearing the sirens, police radio and helicopter sounds we are first shown a shot of a man lying on the floor and a woman sobbing over him, which is realistic but a typical convention of such a dramatic scene. '10:04pm' appears in the bottom right hand corner of the screen which is in the style of a documentary, we find out why this appears as times appear throughout the music video, documenting certain times of what he does throughout his day and builds up to a climax.
Firstly an establishing shot sets the scene at the beginning of where the crime took place. The camera is at ground floor level sow e are looking through peoples legs but it creates a personal effect as we are on the same level as the body. The camera has close ups on the crowds faces to see their reactions of what has happened, their expressions don't look surprised, this suggests that this happens regularly but it they are saddened by it. They look helpless but suggests that this is a fact they have had to come to terms with on the street.
The music then begins and the camera defocuses and rises up, symbolic to the dead man on the floor representing his spirit or a holy-like onlooker.
The next shot is of the man again but at '9:00am' lying on his bed he then looks straight at the camera with an expressionless face as if he is already telling us what is going to happen or just simply that he has woken to another day in his rat race of life. Certain images match the lyrics of the song, 'the red sun' we then see a shot of the sun followed by a series of establishing shots which creates a sense of urbanisation which is where he lives.
We are then shown a scene of him and what we can assume to be his wife eating breakfast which shows their relationship and how normal their life is. there is religious connotation as the painting in the background, adjacent with him at the table is a painting of the last supper. Giving the viewer an indication and foreshadowing future events.
The next shot is of a community centre for addicts to alcohol or drugs, outside there are people leaning against the walls in baggy and dark clothing. Their body language suggests that they are involved in something illegal as they look uneasy and shifty. The close-up on his hands doing the deal progresses the narrative.
The shot of him play fighting with his friend shows his youth and how simple life can be. He walks out of the centre and across the road is a church and stands there facing that as something is compelling him to it. The next shot is of religious iconography but they use a low angle shot as if to represent heaven. The shot fades out slightly as if someone blinks which is different to the rest of the sharp shots in the music video maybe to represent what he see's when he dies or again foreshadowing events. The next scene is of him with his family playing with his son which shows that he is a good guy and changes the perception of what stereotypes the viewer may have had of him.
The next shot is of him standing on the roof looking out on to the city standing in the position of Jesus with his arms out. Maybe to show he wants to be free from the place he is in. We are shown him standing with his friends on the street involved in something and he walks away as he doesn't want to be involved.
The shot then ends in the same place the music video began. The last shot is of his wife dressed in black outside the church presumably for his funeral and she thinks see's him with his hand covering where he was shot symbolic to Jesus being resurrected.
This is Oasis's album 'Be here now' which was released in 1997. The band are not following typical conventions as they have not included the album name on the cover. Instead they have a calender in the image which has their release date on it. They have their iconic band name font in the top right hand corner, this makes it cohesive with their previous album and that style of print is recognisable with the band.
It is set in prestigious settings this is code for the bands success and to show how far they have come, in their first album they are in opposite settings to this. However they have elements of the last album as they are in order of hierarchy in their positioning. Liam the lead vocals is at the front and the only one looking at the camera, therefore he is in the position of leading them. A bit further away one of the band members are holding a key as a guitar as a code that music is a key to their future.
They are dressed in casual clothing and some are wearing sunglasses which is now iconic to the band. What they are wearing is juxtaposition to where the photo is set and symbolises the time period.
The expensive car in the swimming pool is now a typical convention of a boy rock band but at the time they were breaking the ideological and typical styles of album front covers. It also shows that the band can afford to live their lives like this and that they have total dis-regard to wealth and money. A grammar phone and a motorbike also appear in the image, they are there to represent the bands passions. Their influences and history. The TV and globe in the background link back to their old album, the globe to be a code for that they aim to conquer the world and the futuristic tv to show that they are going to be the same and not forget what they used to do and be whatever happens in the future. There is also a clock without out any hands a code for them and their music being timeless and that they have all the time to achieve their goals.
The usual conventions appear in this album cover such as the band name, album name and artists. The album cover is of the band in a living room, an ordinary setting therefore breaking the conventions of usual album cover. Oasis are not posing or dressed up specifically for this, they are being their usual selves and showing their audience that they haven't changed even though they are now successful and known. They are presented to be grounded and haven't forgotten their working class roots, Benson Hedges cigarettes show their normality.
Oasis are all together in this image and are therefore shown as a unit. However their positioning is code for the hierarchy of the band. The lead singer is conventionally in the centre and at the front. Liam is lying on the floor which shows he is different, quirky, confident and shows who he is in the sense of his personality. He seems to be a pensive this is juxtaposition between the ideological views that boy bands have. The guitarist is the next important band member and as a viewer we can tell this as he is the next closest to the front. He is the musician of the band as he is holding a guitar and his body language is relaxed therefore his position and settings is not out of the norm. The rest of the band are casually in the background, their positioning is demoting as they are in order of importance.
The juxtaposition with the band are presented to be sophisticated as it seems that they are drinking wine which is unconventional of a rock band unlike their Mancunian working class background. The house is also tidy and they are dressed well, this makes a statement as they are not following typical conventions. The ash tray and cigarettes show their normality and their everyday living. There is a framed picture of Man City football team, this tells us who they support and their passions, it gives the band identity. In the image there is a globe in the top right corner which is code for that they are aiming to be worldwide with their music.
The 'Oasis' font is quite bold and is in the style of a newspaper headline a code for their ambition to make headlines. The bold font makes a statement and is striking. Their album name font looks as if it was handwritten which gives a personal element to the band, it makes them real. Their album cover shows that they are not a typical rock band and are willing and aiming to break conventions and boundaries.
There is no narrative in this music video, instead they have used colours, Red, White and Black so that the audience can associate the band to these colours and therefore make those specific colours synonymous with them. thses colours are code for danger and rebelliousness, compared to it being Pink and Lilac, materialistic and followers. The band have established who they are and the dark colours break typical ideological boundaries. In their video the band are playing/performing in it, maybe to be asscoiated with musicanship capability to play instruments. They are breaking the usual conventions for a band as they do not perform together in the video, they are however shown as individuals but bringing their own element and indiduality to create their band.
The music video is made up of short edits and a series of close-ups all in sync with the rythm of the song. The shots are constantly moving which along with the flashing lights creates a hypnotising effect. The edits speed up for the chorus along with the lights when there is drumming, fading in and out, this was done purposley to create an impact on the audience.
Michel Gondry a famous director for music videos with an artist; Bjork and now films, directed this music video and made the bands style unique and iconic. The video focuses on the music and doesn't distract from that as the rythmic editing helps the audience listen to the beat and the lyrics.
Usual conventions of music videos are that they are usually based around a narrative, therefore something that relates to the lyrics of the song. Many use imagery to generate the image and identity of the artist/band, their costumes and graphics become synonymous with them, these codes are all employed to perpetuate the artist/bands image. Costume, lighting, editing, mise-en-scene and setting all help to create this image of the artist.
Music videos usually contain fast editing which is made up of short shots playing in quick recession which are mostly used in sync with the music. The typical camera angle in a music video is a low angle shot and close-ups on the artists face which is there to clearly show the viewer who they are and connect with them, to make the video seem more real and personal.
