Applying the concept of Genre (AS Coursework)

Apply the concept of Genre to your AS coursework.

For my AS coursework, I produced and created a three minute moving image sequence that was to be representative of a segment from a potential film. Genre may be defined through a set of distinguishing features that pertain to certain content; this can be identified through varying codes and conventions (either syntactic or semantic) of that particular genre. My moving image sequence remained well within the realms of the horror and supernatural genres; thus enabling the entitlement of a hybrid genre. Rick Altman deduces that genres are more often than not defined through media language that is relevant to particular ideologies and narratives. My three-minute sequence conformed to the horror genre through various semantic elements such as close-up camera angles of blood and gore, low-key lighting edited with an overlay of quick-cut camera shots and editing. Syntactically, my moving image conformed to a narrative that followed suit to that of the conventional and well-known, “The Chase” narrative; in which there is an element of pursuit between two characters, in my case, this applied to a “predator versus prey” scenario. This syntactic element reiterated the hybridity of my moving image, as through incorporating variants exclusive to the supernatural genre, for example, a close-up camera shot of one of my protagonists lunging at the neck of the secondary character. Aside from this, another convention of a supernatural genre that I included within my film opening was that of enigma codes, more specifically, a range of close-up camera angles that focused on an unidentified object that aided the narrative. Because of the hybridity of my moving image, this allowed for audiences to utilise one of the fundamentals of the Use’s and Gratifications theory: Escapism. Escapism acts as an emotional response towards genre from the audience, and with the merging of two genres, my moving image successfully allowed for escapism to be achieved as it allowed audiences to escape from the “mundane” as my moving image focused on the supernatural, entities of which don’t exist in reality. This particular element of the theory (Escapism) however, may typically be applied to fictional texts, as Aristotle noted that emotional responses differ depending on the type of genre that an audience wishes to engage with, in turn, these emotional responses are absent with theoretical commentaries/documentaries as the text doesn’t allow for audiences to escape reality. Following on from my moving image, I also created a blog and social media accounts that detailed every step of the editing and production process, whilst also engaging with the audience. 

Tom Ryall (1978) suggests that genre provides a ‘framework of structuring rules’ that in turn ‘acts as a form of supervision over the work and production and filmmakers and the work of reading by the audience’. Like my moving image, my blog also conformed to this ‘framework’ that was built up by the horror genre, this was done through a muted colour scheme, interactive gore and creative outlets (recipes for making your own blood) that largely appeased to the horror community and fan base. My blog also acted as a tool for a more inclusive community, by utilising social media platforms and creating accounts on Twitter and Instagram, wider members of the horror and supernatural genre community can indulge into other pleasures by sharing the experience of the media text; much to reiterate Daniel Chandler’s Theory. Sharing the codes and conventions of both the horror and supernatural genre gave me scope for subverting the conventional portrayal of cinema, which incorporates elements of repetition. Neale (1980) suggested that the ‘pleasure of cinema lies in the process of difference in repetition’, this being applied to my own moving image, I can confidently say subverted his theory as I utilised codes and conventions of two widely different genres, thus straying away from conventional repetition throughout the media text.

Marxist Theory Application (AS Coursework)

Apply the concept of Marxism to your AS Coursework production.

For my AS Media Studies Coursework, I created and produced a three minute moving image sequence that was to be representative of a segment from a potential film. Marxism in the realm of media is identified through different variables, such as a hegemonic view of society. This specific view of society entails the fundamental inequalities in power experienced between differing social groups. With a Marxist view of society, it could also be argued that representations are encoded into mass texts to reinforce dominant ideologies. The way in which my coursework reinforces dominant ideologies surrounding the notion of the supernatural is seen through the conveyance of a ruthless and immoral protagonist who is incidentally a vampire. Various frames exhibit this ruthless creature, more notably through close up camera angles to show the lust for blood and the remorseless attitude - thus reinforcing the archetypal image of a vampire who is depicted as dominant, shocking and remorseless through many supernatural films. However, as the narrative of my product unfolds, we see a subversion in the stereotypical attitudes of the vampire, as it transitions to more of an intelligent and helpful figure. Although we can argue that the main intention of the media is to reinforce and circulate dominant ideologies, it can also be a catalyst for the diminishing of these ideologies by undermining them and through subversion. In this case, my product exhibits examples of both, making the product unique as it shows two parallel views.

As my aforementioned point states regarding a hegemonic view of society, the power struggles between different social groups are witnessed between the vampire and the victim within my product. Although, there is a transferal of power as the victim then becomes the predator – does this reflect attitudes within a hegemonic society? In this case, I argue that it doesn’t reflect the attitudes of a hegemonic society, as my product doesn’t blatantly explore the way in which the ruling capitalist classes protect their financial and economic interests, as my product is founded upon supernatural fiction – something of which doesn’t tackle this fundamental view of society. However, the economic differences through materialism may be inferred through my media text. Various camera shots of the protagonist (the vampire in the first instance) show him to be adorned in baggy and tattered clothing, which is most reminiscent of the working class. Contrastingly, a wide-angled mid-shot captures the secondary protagonist (who will later become the final vampire) wearing jeans and a smart top and walking whilst interacting with an iPhone. This is a clear distinction of social class between the two protagonists, highlighting the higher status of the latter character.

Genre Music Video Analysis

Genre Music Video Analysis - Dream-Pop/Ambient-Pop

Considering that Cigarettes After Sex isn't a very well known band and are so differing in their music genre, it was tedious trying to find bands that were even remotely similar to what the band offers. However, through trawling the Internet and the minds of the youth (i.e. my friends) I was able to make comparisons of the band to well known artists such as Daughter, Damien Rice and Chet Faker. However, for the two latter artists, they didn't have any music videos, they were unofficial and were only live lounge sessions. 

Numbers - Daughter

Numbers by Daughter is an extremely brooding and melancholic tune, slightly reminiscent of 'Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby' by Cigarettes After Sex. It is however, more upbeat to my original song, 'Keep On Loving You'. What struck me about the music video is the low-key and sombre lighting that was quickly contrasted with dull neon lighting such as the blue and purple hues. This immediately drew me to the music video as a lot was happening, but not to the extent that I was distracted - it kept me engaged. The music video follows the narrative of a young woman who ventures out into the dark streets to 'find herself' because she feels perpetually numb and struggles with her identity in a cruel world. The song details the artists pain as she fails to make emotional connections to other people, hence the tracking shots that show her being dismissive towards an injured woman and blowing cigarette smoke into the face of a street preacher. As a band, Daughter is known for their brooding tunes and are categorised into the Dream-Pop and Ambient Rock genre. Because of this, I can make the link between this music video inspiring me and my own production as the bands are of the same genre. 

However, it is important to note that although this music video depicts low-key lighting and melancholic scenes, it is not necessarily how I would like my music video to be filmed. My interpretation of the song, 'Keep On Loving You' is neither negative nor explicitly positive, it is however a reflection of a relationship, weighing the good times and the times of sadness and missing your significant other. In this case, I can apply my music video to this one as the music video for 'Numbers' follows the inner relationship of a woman and her feelings towards the external world, and in my video, I explore the relationship of a married couple. In a nutshell, the two music videos are linked by their focus on relationships. 

Daughter - Still

Another one of Daughter's songs, 'Still', focuses on a turbulent relationship. The style of the music video is narrative based as we see the progression of their relationship and the turbulence that they face by being with each other. What connects my music video to this one is indefinitely the narrative concept behind the video. Although, my video focuses on the beauty and undying nature of a relationship, is it still a narrative. Like the aforementioned video, the footage features sombre, low-key lighting that is again, contrasted with neon colouring. This seems to be a continued theme throughout their music videos, giving them their own personal aesthetic. 

Daughter - Doing The Right Thing

This music video is the closest to what I aim to achieve in my product in terms of the colouring and camera shots. The overall aesthetic of the music video is filled to the brim with cool hues that would have been completed in post-production editing - this is exactly what I want my video to look like. There are camera shots that contrast with this cool toned colouring and are obviously "warmer" than the rest of the video. Aside from the colouring, the camera shots are exactly what I aimed to have in my video: the close up camera shots of the eyes and hands, capturing the minute details such as the skin wrinkles is exactly what I have done and what I am going to continue to do. It is also important to note that again, the video is a narrative video and follows the relationship between a married couple and how they have progressed through life. In a close-up camera shot, there was a clear image of a photograph of the pair at their wedding - this is exactly what I have done in my video where I open with a panning shot of photographs from my parents life and how they have got to this point now. This music video is the closest and more accurate representation of what I am going to achieve in my final product - both aesthetically and the range of camera shots. 

As I have said before, the way in which I have interpreted the song by Cigarettes After Sex determined my music video style, and although the song is essentially categorised into the 'ambient pop' genre, the way I have interpreted it has convinced me to shed light on a more positive element of the song and reflect this in the video - hence the high-key lighting and close-up camera shots of my protagonists and them being happy and joyous. However, this was contrasted with the mellow, slow-motion panning shots at the beginning and the end of the video and the dull-coloured editing at the beginning. The editing is done purely to reflect the emotions that are evident within the video and to enhance the emotional reception that I get from the audience. 

Copyright Request

Copyright Request for Cigarettes After Sex - Keep On Loving You

Due to copyright policies, I have emailed the band, Cigarettes After Sex, and requested permission to use their song 'Keep On Loving You' for my music video. I found their email address on a YouTube video and went to their official site (cigarettesaftersex.com/) to double check.

Although I have no reason as to why they wouldn't allow me to use the song, it is always best to be safe and double check. I will wait for a response and upload it if they respond in due course. Considering that the band don't have any music videos and I haven't found anybody that has done one, it would be interesting (in terms of the creative process) to see how my video reflects the attitudes and emotions of the song, as seen from my perspective. 

Comparisons (Post-Edits/Edited)

Comparisons of the editing process 

Here, I have included screenshots of the comparisons of the raw footage and the edited footage to track my exploration through Final Cut. For each frame of footage, I toyed around with the natural shadows and highlights that were apparent and edited them so that it would suit my next step in the editing process: adding a filter.

With the intention of my music video in mind, I applied a colouring filter called ‘Luma Keyer’, that added an element of grittiness to the footage and enhanced the grey within the clips. The filter, in my opinion, made the footage feel surreal and dream like as although it enhanced the natural grey of the footage, it also exaggerated some of the blue and cool hues of the videos. With a lot of consideration, I have decided to stick with the editing choices that I have made, as I believe that the filter alongside the extra focus on the natural shadows and highlights made the intention of my music video clear.  

Aside from the filter, I also added the 'Letterbox' feature that completes the look of my final product and gives it a professional look; as seen on many other professionally made music videos. The ratio I have used for the 'Letterbox' feature is 2.35:1. 

Edit 1

Edit 1.1

Here, you can see that the filter brings out the grittiness of the footage and adds a cool hue to the visuals. The raw footage was too light for what I was trying to achieve, ergo, I sifted through the varying filters until I found Luma Keyer, which was the best filter for what I wanted in my music video. For this scene, I also modified the rate at which the video played, and slowed it down by 75% - this captured the emotion of the character more as it was in slow motion. (See Edits 1 & 1.1)

For the opening scene of my music video, I filmed a collection of old photographs that were of my parents when they were younger. Originally, the footage was incredibly light, especially with the reflection of the fire on the photographs. Adding the filter brought out the blue hue of the photographs and the footage, whilst also darkening it. During the editing process, I actually reversed the footage so that it was panning away from the fire, as originally, I had filmed from the fire and then panned over. Accompanying this, I also modified the speed again, retiming it to a 70% frame rate. (See Edits 2 & 2.2)

Edit 2 

Edit 2.2

For a close up camera shot of my parents, I knew that I wanted to film in a well lit area, preferably in the natural light. Travelling to Spencer's Park just at the top of my street was the prime location for this. We headed out at around 1PM as we were a little pressed for time, as the sun usually sets incredibly early during the winter months! With an initial idea of what I wanted in mind, I got the footage and when it came to editing it, I found that although it came out exactly how I wanted it; the footage wasn't right for the overall  aesthetic of the video. Thus, I took to Final Cut Pro X and added a colour corrector to see if that would change anything significantly - this was to no avail. It only slightly altered the colour balance and actually added to the colour, when I wanted to take the colour away. 

Because of this, I undid the colour correction and ran it through the Luma Keyer filter as well as the Letterbox feature. It looked exactly how I wanted it to, but in comparison to the rest of the video, it was still significantly brighter. I took to my friends and asked them to watch it, and they all said that it worked well because it was, quote: "a significant frame in depicting the raw emotion of the actors". They also said that the brighter colour contributed to the emotion that was being conveyed, and that I should keep it that way. After re-watching it several times, I toyed with the shadows because I still wasn't convinced. Tweaking the shadow balance convinced me and with the filter, the scene fits extremely well with the rest of the video. (See Edit 3 & 3.3)

Edit 3

Overall, I am still continuing to develop my editing skills and technique and it will consequently have a great impact on my final music video. Ultimately, my intention and goal is to evoke an emotional response from the audience - thus, I believe that the editing process is one of the most significant stages of development. 

Edit 3.3

First Cut of the A2 Music Video

First Cut of Cigarettes After Sex  - Keep On Loving You

This is my first cut for my music video for Cigarettes After Sex. It hasn't been filmed fully yet but in order to keep track of my exploration and progress for the project, I have exported what I have (2 minutes and 18 seconds) in order for the development process to be apparent. 

Considering that this is the first cut, I am extremely happy with how it has turned out and I am going to be constantly exploring and developing my ideas through Final Cut in order to attain the greatest grade possible. I went into this project with the intention to explore and develop my creativity, and I didn't go in to the creative process with a narrow mind, instead, I have been open to positive feedback and obviously to some constructive criticism. 

The first cut is a representation of my exploration and development over the course. I have decided to stick to the way that I am currently editing the video as I believe that it meets my intention and conveys the emotion that I want to be felt when the audience watch the product. The music video, as previously stated, is a homage to an undying relationship and aims to evoke emotional responses such as happiness and joy. When I first showed my parents the first cut of the video, they did in fact cry (with happiness, of course) - so, I can deduce that the video is inducing the correct response from audiences. 

*Please note: YouTube wouldn't allow me to upload it in 1080p - the final product has been shot in 1080p and it is immaculately clear and sharp. Youtube has uploaded it with a resolution of 360p. 

Christmas Update

Over the Christmas period, I was busy collating clips for my music video and had to pick and choose days that I could actually film, as the weather seemed to be a little bipolar! As of yet, I have compiled the first 2 minutes and 18 seconds of the music video, and it is looking fantastic. Albeit, it is not completed, I am confident that with the editing that I will undertake, the music video will be a work of art. The editing process over the Christmas has been extremely rewarding and I have included a post that exhibits the comparison of raw footage and edited footage.

As you can see by my previous post, it is clear that my father was absent for most of the time, so, with this in mind, I booked a solid day of filming on the 24th of December and then 1 hour to 2 hour slots after this date.

I am in no way saying that the editing is finished, as I believe with any creative production, you have to go back in and look at it with fresh eyes to achieve the most aesthetically pleasing product.