Kick-Ass is a 2010 British-America superhero black comedy based on the comic book of the same name by Mark Millar and John Romita which was published by Marvel comics. The film was directed by Mathew Vaughn, who produced with Brad Pitt and co-wrote the screenplay with Jane Goldman. Its general release was on 25 March 2010 in the United Kingdom and on 16 April 2010 in the United States.
The film earned over $12 million internationally in advance of opening in the United States. On its debut weekend in the United States it took in $19.8 million in 3,065 theaters, averaging $6,469 per theater. The film's final earnings in the U.S. was $48,071,303 and $48,117,600 outside of the U.S. with a worldwide gross of $96,188,903.
The film follows the main character 'Dave,' an average teenager, wonders why no one has ever decided to become a real-life superhero like the ones in the comic books. After being mugged while a bystander watches and does nothing, he decides to become a real-life superhero. He buys a scuba suit on eBay as his costume and becomes a masked crime fighter, despite the fact he has no Superpowers or training of any kind.
personally i do not think that any of the gay members of LGSM come across across as gay if were going to guess using stereotypical views, the film has not portrayed the characters i think in the way the audience will expect. the way they are represented is less about the fact that they are gay but more about what they face and have to go through considering other characters feelings and views towards homosexual people. the only scene that brings connotations of the stereotypical characterisations of flamboyancy and theatrical pose would probably be Jonathan's dance scene at the miners club in south wales, the facial expressions Jonathan makes emphasises his desire to make the performance dramatic, he is in his element and is so in the moment that he walks up onto the table as if its a catwalk and all the men have to move their pints.
we are first introduced to Mark when he is at his flat watching Margaret thatcher on the television with piercing distaste, this is where he first hears about the miner strike. the second time we see him is at the pride march where he meets with mike and Steph, this is an important scene as this is the first time mark pitches the idea of fundraising for the miners, we can tell how determined he is due to his desire to get his friends to get on board with him, mark cares about this particular idea because he knows that him and his friends have went through the same thing that the miners are going through so in relation to this particular reason we can tell why mark voices his idea so passionately when mike seem unsure. we can tell that mark thinks and feels for others, he is a good person who wants to help.
The 1980s was the most controversial decade in modern British history. It was the decade of the Falklands War and the miners’ strike, the expansion of the City, the great council-house sell-off and the ascendancy of Margaret Thatcher. Yet, these were also the years of individual aspiration and cultural diversity. More than ever before, Britain was a land defined by owning things and buying things, by designer labels and High Street brand names. The Eighties did not begin on January 1 1980; they began on May 4 1979 with the arrival of Margaret Thatcher in Downing Street. Queen Elizabeth may have reigned but it was Thatcher who ruled the Eighties. A decade of big politics and big hair. The Eighties can appear endearingly unfamiliar. The Eighties were more subtle and significant: there would be no Katie Price without Samantha Fox, no Lady Gaga without Madonna, no Simon Cowell without Stock, Aitken and Waterman and no David Cameron without Margaret Thatcher. The Eighties marked the death of one Britain and they hinted at another Britain to be born. Music 80s British music was built on the post-punk and new wave movements, incorporating different sources of inspiration from subgenres and what is now classed as world music in the shape of Jamaican and Indian music. Popular post-punk-rock bands that found success in the 70s included 'Siouxsie and the Banshees' and 'The Psychedelic Furs'. Their success continued through to the 80s. Members of Bauhaus and Joy Division explored new stylistic territory as Love and Rockets and New Order respectively. The second generation of British post-punk bands that broke through in the early 1980s, in, tended to move away from dark sonic landscapes. Some, such as Gang of Four, shifted to a more commercial new wave sound, while others moved into Gothic rock or became early examples of indie rock.
The song Margaret on the Guillotine appears on Morrissey's debut solo album titled Viva Hate. The song, which is one of Morrissey’s most controversial songs, as the title implies talks about the death of Margaret Thatcher (popularly known as The Iron Lady), who was at that time the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. This song controversially describes the death of Margaret Thatcher as a "wonderful dream." Morrissey recalled in his 2013 autobiography that the lyrics so concerned the authorities that Special Branch brought the singer in for questioning to determine whether or not he was actually a threat to the Prime Minister The song "stand down Margaret" by the beat shows the desire for Margaret to resign as president, stop acting a fake and to get down from her high horse,made the top 30 in August 1980.The Tory government of the 1980s appeared set on blunting the sharper edges of our culture. Of course that had to fail, and particularly with music. The greatest political music builds a bulwark against the enemy, and rallies engaged fans to the cause. This is Thatcher’s contribution to pop music
Pop really got its opposition front bench together with the creation of politico-cultural organisation Red Wedge in 1985. With heavyweight support from then-Labour leader Neil Kinnock, the collective aimed to get people into the voting mindset for the 1987 election. Musically, Red Wedge were led by The Style Council – then righteously tearing into the government with ‘Walls Come Tumbling Down’ – and Billy Bragg, who made his name with stark, gravelly attacks on the Tory administration, from ‘Between The Wars’ to ‘Waiting For The Great Leap Forwards’, minting a new British protest folk built on the firmest of foundations: adversity. <
about minority races, being oppressed by thatchers government.
Culture
Amid the whirl of 1980s consumerism, what you bought and what you wore became an integral expression of your identity, your values and even your politics. And one magazine in particular captured the mood of a generation. The glossy pages of The Face championed street fashion and club culture and became a source of inspiration for many British youngsters. Youngsters and adults alike experienced uprising technology such as digital watches, ony walkmen and arcade/computer games. Magazines and big-name stars were all the talk, and Madonna was arguably on top.
we believe Salim has been represented asa a rebel without a course, although he loves his bother, his influence from the local gangster results in him coming across as quite sinister. This is illustrated the scene where the trio (Salim, Jamal, Latika) escape the 'Orphanage' and flee towards a moving train to flee from their captor. Although Salim is aware that Jamal cares for Latika he releases her hand when she is trying to get on the train. We also see this when the three reunite a few years later and take shelter in an empty hotel, Jamal and Latika are woken b Salim and Salim forces Jamal to leave, Jamal refuses and eventually Salim threatens his own brother with a hand gun. Another scene we also come across where Salim is displayed as carless and menacing, is when Latika escapes her controlling and devilish 'husband' to meet Jamal at the train station, when they plan to leave together, and although Salim understands Latika and his brother belong together he captures Latika and slashes her cheek with a knife, due to him working for Latika's 'husband.' This proves his evil and dark persona as he knows that Jamal desperately cares for Latika, but still he insists to return her to his abusive and careless Boss.
1. "Documentaries awaken a desire not just for information but for insight, understanding, and intimacy. We want the camera to take us some place we haven't"
2. "We want the camera to take us some place we haven't been and show us something we haven't seen, and we want it to do so in a way which "gives" us the experience." 'Montage of Heck' and 'Kurt and Kourtney' involve personal and intimate home videos. Anne Fischel ~ Engagement & the Documentary ~ Contemporary Media, 1989, 2006 Chris: "I find musicians really inspiring. Someone who has real music ability is very special and it’s great to capture this. Music and film just go together so well." in relation to 'Montage of Heck' contrast between the life of Kurt and the development of his musical success. Chris Hegedus (documentary filmaker) ~ Rockumentary ~ Article Written By: Helen Dugdale This article first appeared in MediaMagazine 6, December 2003
"Traditionally, documentary's starting place has been the filmmaker's desire to know a subject or a way of life with which s/he is unfamiliar." used to explain that the documentary film maker's starting place is neither of these but to give the watchers/ audience insight to the development, life and sudden end to the life of Kurt Cobain. March, 1989, pp. 35-40 copyright Jump Cut: A Review of Contemporary Media, 1989, 2006 Anne Fischel
"when a documentary 'speaks about' something, when 'we speak about it to you,' for example it speaks through it's composition of shots, its editing together of images and its use of music, among other things." very relevant to the importance and composition of both 'Montage of Heck' and 'Kurt and Kourtney,' concerning the music used, images and videos displayed including home videos, also the shots used when reenacting Kurt's childhood with animation. all of these factors played a dynamic and important part throughout the documentary, to capture the essence and angelic yet disturbing mood of the documentary. Bill Nicholls ~ What gives documentary films a voice of there own
"the voice of documentary makes us aware that someone is speaking to us from their own perspective about the world we hold in common with that person."
Bill Nichols - introduction to documentary
"Voice, then, is a question of how the logic, and perspective, of a documentary is conveyed to us."
"documentaries are not documents. they may use documents and facts, but they always interpret them."
"distinct, cinematic mode:- documentaries adopt models such as the expository or observational mode" - "documentaries select and arrange sounds and images in distinct ways, using specifically cinematic techniques and conventions." (applies to both documentaries especially 'Montage of Heck' in relation to cinematic techniques and conventions.
"we looks in on life as it is lived"
"the observational mode poses a series of ethical considerations that involve the act of observing others go about their affairs."
"And was this anarchic messy, rude and funny show really suitable for BBC Saturday morning viewing?" is the programme appropriate for those target audience of the CBBC channel, and for morning viewing?
i chose this article because like many others my age, this programme would reflect our most memorable TV shows when we were younger, amongst the time that this particular programme was at its prime, "It received an average of about 200,000 viewers, which was huge for the digital channel at the time, it proved popular and so in September 2003 was moved up to BBC1 where it received, throughout Series 3 and 4, an average rating of 900,000-1 million." For this pacific article also, there are many controversial. the article explores the ideas and views that dick and dom in da bungalow was an inappropriate viewing for its proposed target audience, it e
Waterloo Road is a British television drama series set in a comprehensive school of the same name, broadcast on BBC One and later also on BBC Three. The first episode was broadcast on BBC One on 9 March 2006 and the final episode on BBC Three on 9 March 2015, Waterloo Road ran for 10 series, 200 episodes and exactly 9 years. The show was usually broadcasted at 8 o'clock and ran for 60 minutes, however sometimes varied between 8-9 and sometimes 9-10, suggesting the target audience is for not necessarily the older generation but the teenage and onwards ages, we assume this as the show revolves around teenagers and their lives in school and at home, suggesting that the similar age group audience could have the ability to relate to the programme. throughout the 9 years of the show, there have been many accidents, deaths, new characters and even the school being moved from rochdale ,England to Greenock, Scotland. each key character that enters the show is given an episode to inform the audience of their back story, and life in and out of school, sometimes stories unfold throughout a certain amount of episodes however something completely unexpected can occur in the space of one episode, these types of structures can keep the audience wanting to watch the next episode and experience thrill and shock when something they did not expect to occur.
I think a lot of the teenage audience watch this programme to receive the pleasure of personal identity, the programme revolves around characters who are presented to be a similar age to them and possibly experience similar situations to the characters in the home environment or school. the audience, especially those of the teenage audience i could imagine watch waterloo road for the pleasure of social interaction, to be able to discuss and gossip about the characters and what happens on the episodes with their friends or family, use the happenings n the show or the programme in general to build conversation. we could say this is conventional to the drama genre due to generally the 'drama' that occurs at the school with the students and teachers on a daily basis, the things we class as factors of a drama series, we can find in waterloo road, ranging from dramatic death scenes, affairs, a villain, a hero, a victim. the plots are open ended and many storylines are featured or even interlinked in an episode. this particular programme's target audience i would say is fairly obvious, as the show is based on and around teenagers and school, so people of that age group between the ages of 10 and 20, who would be currently in school/education. how could the older generation relate or find it interesting to view. many viewers could watch the programme for entertainment, to escape from their everyday reality, for this pacific target audience that could be school, which is sort of ironic because they are watching the school and its happenings, although this could further engage the teen viewers more because they go to school too. social interaction could also be a possibility, watching the show would allow students and friends to interact and have something to talk about they both parties find exciting and fun to talk about. certain individuals could also view the show for the pleasure of personal identity, comparing their own life with the characters and situations portrayed, this could be easy for student viewers and common school life struggles are represented in the show, making it easy to relate and compare ones self with. however, we could also say the show could attract some middle aged individuals, they could watch the show for the pleasure of information, possibly about the workings and happenings of an average public school, maybe comparing it to what their child might experience in their own school.
the opening sequence sounds with a loud punchy guitar riff, this could suggest the reckless and mischievous representation of the school and the students withheld
surf chick was a famous american girl's magazine that was at its most popular throughout the late 90's and early 2000's.
the image used for this cover displays a girl model, wearing a beanie hat, hoodies and holding a skateboard across her back, this first of all destroys the girly girl stereotype and allows the archetype of a fun and punk styled skater girl, her plaited her and natural face with almost no makeup on suggest her lack of care for what other people think of her and that she dresses and styles to please herself and not others around her. the scrunched and scowling look on her face suggest intimidation an that just because she is a girl doesn't mean she cant be aggressive.
a edited quote, from Noel Gallagher's managed official twitter page.
this image of noel, with a quote edited into the foreground of the picture is from, noel's official twitter page, which is supposedly managed by his assistant/ personal workers of his media etc. They show noel in an element of his own pacific words and his personal thoughts on the song 'i hate myself and i want to die' belonging to the band nirvana and their lead man Kurt Cobain. this particular quote is representing noel as a arrogant and self absorbed 'rockstar' who is shocked and quite appalled at the idea that Kurt seems to be devaluing that all the things noel lives for and wants out of the music industry, "hes got everything i want", showing is desire for money and fame. He is represented as iggnorant, especially to such a meaningful song that is important to the fans of the song and how it reflects the writers experiences and emotion, implying that he doesn't care and displaying his constant use of the word 'f*ck' to show how serious he is about the matter and how it seems to annoy him so much. he finishes his view, with a range of insults 'fuck that, fuck the song and fuck him,' giving him a representation as a quite, cold hearted, self opinionated individual, also saying 'you and me mate, we're gonna live forever!' again implying how self-absorbed he seems to be by using iconography improvised by himself, quoting his own lyrics an song.// the encoders, in this case the people who have posted this and fans/ individuals who have re-tweeted the image, and possibly also himself for saying it, are attempting to represent noel as the typical 'rockstar' who claims that whatever he says is right and no one can tell him otherwise, who wants the readers/ audience to know noels opinion and perception on things. the target audience for this this text, would obviously be fans of noel who's representations of him are not taken too seriously by the people who are familiar with him, possibly and men in or around the north west area, like noel, from the age of 20-50. the audience are expected to accept this representation of noel because this how he has been represented since his claim to stardom all the way back to the beginning of oasis, the media expect the reader to accept his opinion because that is what he is famous for and in his eyes and his fans eyes, his opinion counts.
: oasis winning award at BRITs in 2007
in this clip, noel is not displayed individually but with his bandmates, when he was part of the group Oasis which is where his upmost fame was formed and found, they win an award and come onto the stage to accept it and in this particular 'speech' noel makes he is represented as unusually humble and displays gratitude and thanks to his/ the band's fans. explaing "thankyou very much to anyone who bought any of our records and came to any of our concerts," representing as a humble and sincere address to fans of oasis, however finishing with a statement that still adds to his acclaimed 'rockstar' status but in a supposed thankful way saying, "all thats left to say is that it's been a f*cking pleasure."
more importantly the encoders of this text, in this case the directors/editors of the event, and supposedly Russel Brand who presented the award, have represented noel still in his expected reckless and mischievous bashful way. "a glourios rock and roll band" is a delightful and worthy statement to represent them as before Russel begins with more encoded and purposeful quotes and events to display noel and his band as what they 'truly' are. "they've never gone up their own arses, except maybe when they retrieve drugs when they're on tour" displaying noel as obviously someone who has been known for taking drugs, representing him as a reckless and someone who can get up to no good. "then theres noel gallagher with his amazing sense of humour" representing him as a comedic and amusing individual aside from his explained 'rock god' persona, following with "he could of been a stand up comedian if he wanted to." the celebrity and public audience are expected to accept these representations of noel because his claim to fame was his cheeky and reckless way of living and blunt sense of humour, aswell as for his success in the music industry.
"Noel Gallagher on meeting Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong at U2 gig: ‘He was a nice guy’"
this text tells us about the encounter between Noel and famous rockstar and frontman of the american rock band 'Green day,' Billie-Joe Armstrong. The former 'Oasis' musician attended the U2's gig in San Diego earlier this month (May 19), describing the show at the time as a "psychedelic experience," which is sort of iconic, especially coming from noels mouth, as large amounts of the media have always mentioned and represented noel as a past addict of drugs, this word reflecting on his time of substance use, reminding the reader/ audience of his menacing past/ background. noel mentioned that he met frontman billie-joe when he was sat next to him during the irish bands gig, "he was a very, very nice guy, iv'e got to say," says noel, obviously displaying to the audience that noel had nothing bad to say about billie, the encoders possibly using this particular quote to represent noel as a non- judgemental or arrogant guy that he is mostly represented as. once the audience had read the title, they were probably expecting rude or negative comments from noel on billie-joe, as the media have represented noel to be very conraversial when it comes to other famous bands who could supposedly be seen as rivalry, especially when he was in 'Oasis.' so this particluar representation of noel is much more positive and content compared to most others in the media. the audience could take the preferred reading to this text as is it nice to see noel talking about other successful people in similar industry's positively, especially for those of the audience who are fans of noel and greenday. also as fans of noel's seem to not accept all of his comments but believe that most of them have some sort of value could possibly believe if noel says it, it's true, just like noel and how he values his opinions.
the masthead of this particular magazine is hardly visible due to models stances blocking the name, however this is not important because the name of the magazine is arguably one of the most universally famous and recognised to all, Rolling Stone is famously branded for giving the latest on the most famous music artists and actors etc. also named after one of the most famous rock bands of all time 'The Rolling Stones,' connoting how the purpose and progress of the magazines interviews the hottest and most famous bands around. the colour theme, mostly yellow reflects the beach theme that is portrayed in the picture, the beach we associate wit blue because of the water and the sky, but we also associate yellow with the sand and the sun, beachballs etc. the font sells us the rock and retro feel that the magazine coveys, the old stylistic type to take us back to the days where rock 'n roll ruled the world. the main image displays the band, supposedly on a beach, hence they are wearing no tops, the fact that mark, travis and tom seem unready for the shot, captures each of their instinctive personalities, mark seeming unready and confused, travis making a silly face and tom grinning, this reflects on the silliness on the band and also the unexpectancy of the amount of fame the band were destined to receive. the layout and mise - en- scene is simple yet effective, the fact that the cover is not bombarded with images and headers etc. flows with the readers visual perspective, it gives the reader a quick analysis of the front cover to decide if its for them, it also follows the readers thinking and expectancy, it gives the bold yellow title, then straight to the image, then the main cover line and lastly the other headers, finishing with a final look over of the cover, in this case less is more and with convince the reader to look on more into the magazine.
the music video portrays luke (lead singer) trying to find his drunk girlfriend in a night club. the dark background and flashing lights are used to isolate lukes questioned look on his face and moving eyes, determined to find his girl, while doing this he is also miming the song, as the song narrates the video that has been created. The use of the busy nightclub enforces the isolation of luke and how excluded he is from everyone else, as he is busy looking for his girl worried and quietly searching for her while everyone else is ahving a good time, especially his girlfriend who seems to be going with other men and throwing herself onto other men, this narrates the the chorus, "oh you're so naive yet so" lukes girlfriend doesnt know that luke knows that she is sneaking around with other men.
visual style/ mise-en-scene:-
the camera angles show distant shots of jake when he is walking through his towns streets and waiting at the bustop, enforcing the individuality and independence he leads in his life. at the very beginning of the video where it introduces the artist and director, it shows the welcoming sign for nottingham, setting the scene, when the bus goes past the text appears, the next two shots show the footsteps and shadow of jake as he is walking, introducing him and his appearance at the beginning of the video. alot of the video involves jake/ jake and his friends smoking, which in some way creates an aesthetic for the whole video, and producing a particular individual persona for jake.
narrative/ techniques used:-
the story follows jake and his hometown, it narrates his actions and the particular things he does before he leaves to go back to his musical career. the video goes in sync and follows the narrative of the song, he explains how he has to leave his life in cliffton to succeed in his musical career, for example 'hes with my momma, they're yelling and fighting' showing scenes of his mother and her boyfriend and how he tries to ignore it but and the same time protect his mum, 'go back to cliffton to see my old friends, some of the best people i ever met, skin off a fat one, hide from the feds' showing shots of him hanging around with his old friends smoking and hiding from the police. then the interlude follows 'something is changing changing' explaining that jake is progressing as a music artist and shows at the end of the video him playing at his own gig with a big crowd. the video shows how the background he has came from and the unexpected music career that has came out of it.
i think this video is unique because it has showed how his previous life in a small town and problematic encounters have lead to one of his best songs as a music artist.
visual style/ mise-en-scene:-
the camera angles, dont seem very important in this particular video, the video instead concentrates on editing techniques, inverted screens and the shot of a bouncy castle blowing up and down but sped up, the band are trying to approach the music video attempt in a more retro and late80's early 90's vibe, involving the vibrant edits and the use of a classic 90's corsa with tartan print. the use of the editing involving the bouncy castle and stacks of pennies iin the background reinforce the lyrics of the song, of how we are still young but we need some money hence the chorus "is it right or is it wrong i've got no money it's all gone." A short scene is also edited into the video where what seems to be an attempted shoot gone wrong, jordan (lead singer) is driving the corsa where it suddenley stops and breaks down, he tries to restart the car which fails, he looks at the camera "f***' sake," as this was no premeditated act it adds a sense of humour and a comic sector of the video.
narrative/ techniques used:-
there is no story followed in the video, however reinforces the truth behind being young and having no money, trying to start your life after you have left school. the video displays just the band, a bunch of 'jack the lads' who are skidding round in there corsa with scruffy hair and gold chains around their necks, the video is said to have been very 'english' in the funny and iconic way, the immature and carless outlook the lads have in the video reflect on their lyricss, "young, dumb, living off mum" "barley out of school, acting like a fool, well i could of done well, if it had gone better," these all reflect on the honesty and silly business that most people go through at that stage in their life, and reinforce the messages of thats what jordan and his band mates were in before they started to make music.
visual style/ mise-en-scene:-
the camera shots are used very effectively in this particular video, james in on what seems to be a cliff, somewhere very cold hence the snow, alot of closeup shots are used to capture the emotion on his face when he is singing the lyrics, but it gradually zooms out to show the still landscape that james is quietly sitting, showing the scale and vastness of the setting and how it is so plain and un-exciting but yet very effective and sensual in relation to the song. the way he places out all his belongings and objects in his pockets, raises questions and creates uncertain purpose for what he is doing, making the audience more intrigued, they can make observations about what is going to happen next creation shock and unexpectancy when we eventually do find out. when james does jump off the cliff the camera is zoomed right back to show the sheer scale of the water around him and the height of the cliff, so that when he does hit the water the splash looks so small, because of the scale of how big everything is around him, it emphasises how small he is and how he feels singing the song.
narrative/ techniques used:-
there is no particular story but we conclude with how the action in the video is the causation of what james is singing about, he is telling the audience about a girl he saw, the love of his life persay, and how he will never see her again or how they will never be together, so he decides to leave it all, because he cant go on without her, he does this by stripping and jumping off a cliff into very cold water, supposedly attempting to end his suffering. Although this is a terribly over-dramatic, and exaggerated action in relation to the song, its a shock to the audience, and thats what creates the mystery of the video in relation to the song.
this is a unique video because i feel that the whole setting and scenery and performance in the video is so simple, yet so effective in terms of contrasting it in relation to the song, it makes sense but at the same time doesnt makes sense, and thats why i feel its so unique.
visual style/ mise-en-scene:-
the camera angles in this video have no real effect or importance in particular as i think drake is trying to capture the change and development throughout the video, and thats what the main focus is. although a small scene has been edited near the middle of the video where his work mates at the grocery store are serving a female customer, and supposedly are trying to hit on her, and she replies no and so on, this adds comic effect and also the stage at which drake was once at and how he has developed from that point in his life. particular placements of certain objects shows how has contrasted them particular shots with the lyrics, for e.g when the line "living with my momma, we would argue every month" a shot of his mother is displayed. shots like this put the realistic perspective from drake onto the audience, giving more sense to the video in relation to the song.
narrative/ including techniques used:-
the main focus in the video is how drake has developed and changed his life so much that he has went from working in a grocery store to becoming one of the worlds biggest rappers, "now am on the road half a million for a show" he says in one of his lines, really putting the the stats on the audience. the first shot is of a young drake playing a football match, then of when he is working at the grocery store, and then at his various villas and houses with all of his friends having parties, smoking cigars and at the end jumping into a pool, the development and achievement is displayed throughout the video and hence the chorus and name of the song, "started from the bottom now we here."
this video could be important to alot of young and aspiring music artist, or anyone with a goal because it shows that you can come from anywhere with any background and as long as you work hard and dont give up you can achieve anything, this video puts across a positive and hopeful message to the audience.
visual/ style mise-en-scene:-
the camera angles are an important part of this video, most shots are used from outside of the cage, so that we see the actors inside the cage enforcing the message that they are trapped. alot of close ups are also used, this is because the emotion and facial expressions in this video are important way of getting the message across and to fully understand the feelings and structure of the actors, the closeups capture this. the camera is hardly static, it follows the actors as they move and travel around the cage, alot of zooming in and out techniques are used, to show the scale of the cage cdompared to the actors.
narrative/ including techniques used:-
the iconography plays a part in the video as we recognise maddie, from the series of 'dance moms' and also sia's previous music video 'chandelier,' this video is a almost a sequel and includes also shia laBeouf well known for his role as sam in the film series of 'transformers.' together they play shia's character, maddie playinghis inner child or demons, this also reflects on the cage used in the video, it contrats between shia being trapped and parts of him being able to escape and parts of him not. this is is an important video because alot of the audience could possibly relate to the message portrayed by the video, it also strengthens the message and meaning of the song.
song/ artist:- stay together for the kids ~ blink 182
visual style/ mise-en-scene:-
the camera is uses alot of closeups of different individuals aswell as the band members, tom, mark and travis. this is used so in relation to the song the outpour of emotion and anger is displayed, the camera is held static throughout these shots however when the chorus approaches and the wrecking ball strikes the building, the camera trebles and shakes to make the idea of the wrecking ball sending a shudder through the building have a more realistic effect on the audience. The editing used on this video includes the resolution and composition of the visual imagery, the composition of the video is made purposely darker and more grey, to reflect the sadness and problematic state of the story the song is based on, this makes the audience more reflective on the meaning and emotion of the song.
also as the song is based on broken relationships and their effect, at the beginning of the video text is displayed reading, '50 percent of all american households are destroyed by divorce.' intoducing the theme and message of the video.
narrative/ including techniques used:-
The song evolves around divorce and the severity of broken relationships and the effects on everyone else around them, particularly children. the song originated from lead singer Tom's experience of when his parents divorced and the impact it had on him. this is where the wrecking ball comes into play, it signifies the harsh and devastating impact it has on people. the video displays the band in a derelict building, supposedly signifying tom and the wrecking ball signifies his parents divorce and how it is gradually beating him down and holding harsh effects upon him, as it slowly falls apart. it also displays other young individuals inside the building who have obviously been through the smae situation, it shows how they are facing it like tom did.
this is why i think that this video is important and unique as the video includes other individuals aswell as the band members, and although many other videos include persons other than the band, this connects those individuals with tom aswell as the song, it also uses the setting as a visual metaphor for tom, help explaining him and the song which i have never seen in any other music video before.
visiual style/ mise-en-scene:-
the camera shots are mostly static in the video, capturing the whole of the scene, some shots include the camera slowly moving from one angle to another, mostly in the shots where pictures/ videos are projected onto matty's body, reflecting on the chorus "if you wanna find love then you know where the city is." the whole video is in black an white, making the light part of the shots more exposed and the darkness casting shadows, creating more atmospheric and abstract. the shots where the camera is gradually moved angle to angle, gives a more wholesome and detailed display of what is happening in that particular shot and helps us recognise how things have been placed, and what the effect of them being there is on the video and response to the audience, for example when the shot of the lady undressing while smoking is showed, the camera angle used displays the smoke travelling upwards and it is more exposed because of the black and white, giving a sort of reckless yet relaxing tone to the video.
narrative/ including techniques used:-
the video follows no particular story or pathways in relation to the song, but insead however matches action and individual characters to match the beat of the song or any relevant lyrics. for example the shots of the men fighting, the couple kissing, and lead sing matty throwing his hair about in slow motion, all match and reflect to the punch drumline that is looped throughout the entire song, the aggressiveness matches with the men fighting and the passion matches with the couple kissing. the shots where matty is shown throwing himself about and headbanging reinstates the urge to display movements that reflect the drumline, like headbanging, but more exaggerated to capture the movement of his hair and necklace.
this is why i think this video is unique because of the way the song is not over exaggerated by the video, the video simply shows the contrasting and reflects the musical and instrumental impacts, the atmospheric and exposed tone created by the black and white effect gives every action and movement in the video detail and definition, which is why i think its different to a lot of other music videos.
artist/ song:- the red hot chilli peppers ~ dani california
visual style/ mise-en-scene: -
the camera has been placed so that the whole set of each impression is visible, close up shots to see makeup/ hair/ costume in detail are used and to capture the full persona of the person/band they are trying to portray, editing has been used so that when the screen changes from shot to shot, as one goes into another it is revealed in a shape, eg a star, this also captures the genre and persona of the music and band they are playing. editing has also been used by changing the colour and composition of the shots, eg. black and white, this again conveys the whole character and authenticity of the band they are portraying. the resolution of the shots have also been changed when they portray the beatles and elvis presley, to make it look like the shots the music artists were originally filmed with.
narative/ technique used:-
there is no story in contrast with the song and the video, instead the video is made up of a variety of comic impressions of other bands, the band members have dressed, had their makeup and hair done to act as the musicans they are trying to represent, the instruments and background have also been changed for each shot so the impression is as accurate as possible, it is done very impressivley and reflects the uniqueness and how authentic the video is. the red hot chilli peppers portray many music artists aswell as including themselves
Narrative/ including techniques used: -
we see a man walking by the river walking by the river Thames in London, he is telling the story of 3 individuals and their tragedies, including his daughter, sheila, who fell into the river when she was drunk, hence the chorus "sheila goes out with her mate stella, it gets poured all over her fella... drunk she stumbles down by the river, screams calling London, none of us heard her comin' i guess the carpet weren't rolled out." And we assume that the other characters are jack, sheilas boyfriend and her friend Georgina, the song links all of them and their bad backgrounds together. at the end, we discover it was her father, who with his flowers places them on the memorial, by the place where she stumbled into the river and died.
the video is unique because we don't understand who the character actually is until the end of the video, this created tension and makes us listen to the song and absorb the lyrics and their message more so we can get a clear understanding of the characters and who they are in contrast with the song. the video is interesting and intrigues the audience to as what is going on, and by the ending we understand and the pieces fall into place. the fact that we are following the man as he walks along the river, gives us a sense of mystery, its following up to something that will appear at the end, the way he walks is in time with the music, he also mimes the lyrics to the song, like he is almost telling the story and the words are coming from his mouth.
the camera angles used are mostly close up of the mans face while he is walking and miming the words, this way we can see the emotion and how he expresses the words he is saying in his facial expression, for example at the very beginning he looks angry, supposedly because his daughter has had a fatal death which could of been stopped. there are also shots from the side, showing how the man is walking alone and is isolated from everyone else around him because it is such a lonely and hard place to be around.
