Task 24: Evaluation Question 2

Tom Sharman 18521 7343

Springwood High School

Unit G324 OCR 2014.

How effective is the combination

of your main product and

ancillary tasks?

IntroductionI am going to be analysing the music video I created for the Unit G324. The music video is a conceptual video based on two points in a characters life and the differences that they face.

Its shot in Ultra Wide Angle and Black and White to give it a dark mood that feels raw with the emotions of Lewis, the older Icarus character.

I will focus on the audience for the video as well as conventions I have both followed and broken throughout and the reasons why I chose to edit this way with reference to media language.

Shot 1: EstablishingIn the first shot I chose to include a wide angle shot of a time-lapse of two chimneys. The

video is reversed and it appears that the smoke is going back into the chimney. This is

subtle hint to relate to the older character, Lewis. His character is very reserved and can

be often seen in the video smoking.

The reference of the smoke going back into its own ‘shell’ almost relates to Lewis falling

in on himself and breaking down. This is a sub textual and implicit meaning which is not

obvious straight away however subconsciously gives people an impressive it is negative.

After this shot, it is a cut away of Lewis walking with a close up shot, this suggests that

this shot is related to him being very reserved and like he is falling back into his shell.

This is also backed up by the high contrast black and white shot giving it a dark and raw

emotional feeling for the audience which is a dominant reading for the target audience.

Shot 2: Lewis Close UpIn the second shot in the video, I chose to have Lewis walk in the direction that he is so it

appears as he is walking back and caving in on himself. This opposes Ronnie who later

in the video walks in the other direction as he is walking forwards.

The explicit meaning in the clip is simply that he is walking somewhere in a certain

direction, when looking at it in a different way the sub-textual meaning is that Lewis is

going back on himself due to the opposing shot with Ronnie to suggest this.

The shot is composed in a close up to show his raw emotion and pain through facial

expressions, this also gives the audience a negotiated meaning as some may feel sorry

for him and a different audience may feel that it is his own fault and should pick himself

up.

Shot 3 - ReflectionThe use of the reflection in this shot adds to the meaning behind the shot. The explicit meaning appears to be that he is now walking somewhere backup up from the previous shot. However, the sub-textual meaning is that he is a distorted character.

The use of the reflection adds to a cinematic and professional look which is conventional in films, especially in Film Noire which I wanted to capture in the video. It has been framed so the character walks off the screen and using the rule of thirds, covers all sections but focuses on the right side.

By using the window which using lighting gave a really good reflection, looks as though he is distorted in the mirror. This refers to his character being very dark and troubled. Also with the high contrast allows for him to appear as a silhouette which is conventional in Film Noire.

There is also a sense of smoke in the shot which is linked to the establishing shot what opened the video and suggests that the establishing shot is a link to the older character and represents his actions, emotions and that he is wasting his life away.

Shot 4: Reverse WalkThe fourth shot is a opposing shot to the second shot which is of Lewis walking left of the audience. In this shot is breaks the convention of Binary Oppositions which Is a theory by Claude Levi Strauss. This is because he is walking right of the screen to the audience like he is walking somewhere whereas Lewis is going back, Ronnie is going forward.

The Explicit meaning, like shot 2, is that Ronnie is walking somewhere, whereas the sub-textual meaning is that he is positive and striving forward to better himself. This is also referred by the colour and lighting in the shot which is lighter than shot 2 to suggest it is more positive and backs up the sub-textual meaning.

There is a dominant reading in this shot that shows that he is going to do something positively due to the facial expressions being very determined. I framed the shot in a close up so capture the emotions of the character and also to give a strong house style with the opposing shot (Shot 2).

Shot 5: Jump up stairsThe setting and lighting on this shot was very important to give the video a strong style and reason. The setting matches the scenes that Lewis is often associated with in the dark alleyway later in the video, however this was to show the audience that there is a link between the characters and is a dominant reading.

It was also important for him to be jumping up the few steps to give the impression that he is confident and conquering his surroundings therefore opposing Lewis. This is an explicit meaning at it is clear and obvious that he feels powerful. This is also backed up by the low angle shot looking up at Ronnie to suggest he is dominant.

The lighting in the shot appears that he is going into the light and this was achieved by lighting control to make it appear Ronnie is walking into the light which suggests positivity. This is a implicit meaning as it is not completely obvious.

Shot 6: Hands SteadycamThe explicit meaning in this shot is to show that Ronnie has a lot of power and can

conquer his surroundings. This is because I used a steadycam to give a close up shot of

Ronnie’s hands which were spread out. This is a power stance and the shot captures his

power.

There is a dominant reading in the shot which is that Ronnie is powerful and determined

to try his best, this is due to the position of the camera which is from behind behind the

character to suggest that Ronnie is looking out into the distance at the scenery ready to

capture and conquer it.

Using a high contrast also gives a very professional look and the silhouette links the two

characters as Lewis appears in a silhouette in shot 3.

Shot 7: Running right thirdA Close up shot of feet running is not a conventional shot in a music video, especially the framing of the subject being at the right side of the page. However, I feel this works and shows that Ronnie is conquering his surroundings as it uses clever editing to the beat to make it even more powerful.

The shadow in the shot also relates to the previous shot which links with Lewis showing that there is a link between the two characters. This gives an explicit meaning and dominant reading that it is the same character at two different points in his life.

The Mise-En-Scene in this shot with the use of Jogging bottoms and trainers allows the audience to understand clearly that this is the younger character as it follows conventions fashion trends associated with this age group, this is an explicit meaning and dominant reading as to who the character is without showing anything more than the bottom of the body.

Shot 8: Docks FlipThe side flip which Ronnie does in this scene is the main focus of the shot. The explicit

meaning that appears is that he is just flipping for no real reason and it is just a hobby,

whereas analysing the clip the implicit meaning is that Ronnie is conquering his

surroundings and is the dominant character in the video.

It also has a both a negotiated and oppositional reading for the shot because some

audiences may feel that this an immature hobby which teenagers do and is not powerful,

whereas other audiences, particularly the audience that will watch this will see this as a

dominating and powerful action and therefore understand the meaning and reasons

behind the shot.

Shot 9: Dock Flip LandingUsing continuity editing, I have filmed the landing of the flip in the previous shot as a

separate shot. This is both conventional in Parkour extreme sports videos and also Films.

Using continuity editing adds realism to the shot and allows the audience to

subconsciously have a connection with the characters through realism.

The landing has been shot as a close up to capture only the important parts of the body

for this shot.

Shot 10: Close Up FaceThe close up of Ronnie's face is a very unconventional and unique shot and is rarely used in film or music video. Typically in shots, they are often of centered and the character does not directly look down the lens as it appears intimidating and over powerful. However, I wanted to create a very unique shot in the style of Michelangelo Antonioni by having a long shot which is not conventional in Music Videos.

The traditional maximum length for a shot in a music video is around 4 seconds, whereas this is much longer at around 10 seconds.

The reason for the close up of the character is to capture the detail and expression in Ronnie’s face which shows that he is powerful and confident with the smirk expression. This is an explicit meaning that it is clear to the audience how he is feeling. It is also a dominant reading which most people accept he is powerful in the shot.

Shot 11: BalconyThis shot gives the impression that Lewis is powerful by convention because of the

framing at a low angle to suggest he is powerful and above the audience. However, I

have used this and twisted it to make him appear suicidal.

The explicit meaning in the shot appears he is powerful and above the target audience

whereas the sub-textual meaning is much deeper and suggest that the character is fed

up of life and wants to take his own life to end the pain. This is backed up by the facial

expressions and body language which is negative to suggest he is tired of life.

The setting and framing of the shot is also quite iconic and unique to the video which is

easy to remember and would allow the audience to easily associate it with the video.

Shot 12: Behind LewisIn this shot, Lewis is looking out to an urban setting. The framing on this shot has been done to create an explicit meaning that he feels surrounded and trapped because he tries to look out to get away from it, however that still fails.

The dominant reading in the shot is that he feels lost within his own body and world and like he does not belong here. Most people will accept this due to the explicitly meaning in the shot and the obvious urban setting dominating the background of the shot with little to none nature in the shot.

The framing from the left of the shot looking out is an unusual framing idea as the traditional and conventional shot is over the left shoulder with the character on the right o the frame. This unusual composition suggests the character is not in a ‘normal’ state due to the unusual framing, this is a implicit meaning.

Shot 13: Extreme Close UpUsing an extreme close up in film is very unconventional and typically is rarely used as it makes the audience feel very uncomfortable for the audience watching because it is unnatural. This works very well in the video because it allows me to show the raw emotion and pain that the older Icarus character has.

With heavy focus on the eyes in the shot, with the ultra wide angle framing, it adds to the emotions and gives an explicit meaning that there is pain from the character. The dominant meaning in the shot suggests that he is lost or troubled and this is because of the emotions shown in the shot size.

The space at the right of the shot is very unconventional also in music videos as they tend to be more central. This allows an implicit meaning of paranoia to be given to the audience as he must look around him.

Shot 14: Low angle JumpThe framing in this shot is conventional in relation to the characters dominance in the

video. The shot is from a low angle to give the impression that the younger Icarus is

powerful and conquering his surroundings which is the explicit meaning of the shot.

The implicit meaning of the shot may suggest that he is striving for success and running

positively towards his goals that are within reach. The shot suggests positivity because of

the power given to the character from the frame size and angle.

Also, the focus on the Mise-en-scene in the shot with the close up shot of the shoes

which are from a younger character due to they are meant for free running, suggests that

it is powerful as youth suggests success and future success compared with a pair of run

down shows I could have used to suggest death and loss of power.

Shot 15: Lewis side smokeThe significance of the Older Icarus character smoking refers to the establishing shot in

the first shot of the Music Video to give an explicit meaning that the character is wasting

his life away. This is a dominant reading as most people understand that smoking ruins

lives, however this Is implicit and much deeper suggesting he is not like this because of

cigarettes but the cigarettes symbolize and show his emotions and behaviors.

The lighting in the shot has a great importance to the implicit meaning and negotiated

reading of the shot. On the left of the shot, the lighting is dark, whereas there is contrast

with the lighter looking towards the light and reflecting back on his past (The younger

Icarus character) which is opposite to him right now. The smoke adds to the significance

to show how he is wasting his life away nowadays.

Shot 16: Ronnie JumperThe shot is a very significant show as it is one of very few shots which closely links and

relates to the lyrics of the video. Because the video is a conceptual idea, I did not need to

follow the lyrics closely and reenact what the artist wanted, instead took my own

approach.

In the lyrics it says, “Putting on your armor”. For this shot I chose a low angle shot of

Ronnie putting on his jumper. This is to suggest to the audience that the clothing he

wears protects him from the dangers he faces.

This is an explicit meaning and the dominant reading is that the youthful clothing which is

free allows him to be free, whereas Lewis has much older clothing that it restricting and

therefore he is reserved.

Shot 17: Running AlternateA Close up shot of feet running is not a conventional shot in a music video, especially the framing of the subject being at the left side of the page. However, I feel this works and shows that Ronnie is conquering his surroundings as it uses clever editing to the beat to make it even more powerful.

The Mise-En-Scene in this shot with the use of Jogging bottoms and trainers allows the audience to understand clearly that this is the younger character as it follows conventions fashion trends associated with this age group, this is an explicit meaning and dominant reading as to who the character is without showing anything more than the bottom of the body.

The use of alternating between this same shot several times and other shots of Ronnie doing Parkour is a clever use of editing as it goes with the rhythm of the song and allows for it to be more powerful.

Shot 18: Lewis out of AlleyThe use of lighting in this shot is very powerful and allows for different audiences to gain

different meanings of the character and to develop different ideas. In regards to the

lighting, we positioned it so that the older Icarus character would walk out of the dark and

into the light.

This could suggest that he either may be going to die as he is walking towards the light,

this is the explicit meaning to the audience as it is most obvious. However, there is an

implicit meaning to the shot suggesting that he is going to get better. This is because due

to the lighting he Is coming out of the dark and into the brightness which suggests

positivity as the younger Icarus has been lighter in previous shots.

Shot 19: Lewis foot followThe shot of Lewis’ foot being tracked as he walks out of the alleyway is a good use of

continuity editing as it follows on directly from the previous shot (Shot 18 – Lewis walking

out of the Alleyway). And also a good use of Mise-En-Scene as the audience knows that

the shoes belong to the older Icarus character.

This is closely linked to other shots which show Ronnie's feet running. A difference is the

pace at which this shot is moving compared with the younger character. This gives an

explicit meaning and dominant reading that the older character is a lot more reserved and

nervous which is unconventional as according to Claude Levi Strauss’ Binary Oppositions

theory, the older Icarus matches all the requirements to be the dominant character.

Shot 20: The EndThe final shot is a very powerful and moving shot in the style of director, Michelangelo Antonioni who used black and white lengthy shots to show raw emotion. The close up of the shot allows the audience to connect with the older Icarus which is an explicit meaning of the shot.

There is a sense of a dominant reading that the audience feels sorry for the character due to the pain physically shown in his actions, body language and facial expressions. However there is also a sense of oppositional reading of the shot where the audience understands the pain the character is in, however rejects it as the character may have caused it open himself.

The close up of his face at the end to bring the video to an end is very moving and the focus on his eyes shows the raw emotion that he is feeling which backs up the explicit meaning in the ending shot.

ConclusionIn Conclusion, through analysing 20 of the best and most iconic meaningful and

powerful shots from my music video, I have described the explicit, implicit and

sub-textual meanings behind the music video and the reasons why the shots

were shot and edited the way in which they were.

I also mentioned about the dominant, negotiated and opposing readings of the

audience and what they felt during the video from a number of different

potentials viewers, especially my target audience.