Culture and subculture

 

Hebdidge ‘subculture: The meaning of style

 

Sub-culture – Not a mainstream culture, comes under this

There is a way of dressing, image and statements within culture

The meanings of sub and counter cultures follow: 

·         Subculture = has its own values and beliefs but is able to exist within the mainstream culture

·         Counterculture = fundamentally goes against mainstream culture and if large enough ends up reshaping the mainstream. -  e.g. Suffragettes, Hippies

This subculture went against the mainstream culture of a simple life style - School, job, marriage and a family life. These hippies were young and rebellious and went against the mainstream culture and we can argue that this division has changed the mainstream culture.

 

The Latin roots of sub and counter culture – Sub = under, Counter = against

·         In 1979, he wrote a book on the British youth culture and the different groups that emerged after WW2.

·         Saw style and its associations with music as a symbolic form of resistance

·         Although he analysed how each specific sub-cultures (Punks, Rockers, Skinheads) evolved. He also looked at the shape aspects common to that evolution

·         He looked at links between subcultures around reggae music and punk music. Saw links of rejection.

All subcultures go on a similar path. Groups join in a resistance against the mainstream and can possibly change the way the mainstream culture is perceived in day to day life.

Music has such cultures which can define such music in todays society. This applies to my music video as the styles which I will include, such as clothing will perceive as a rebellious way to challenge the mainstream culture of today and of the time period in which the song was made.

"Amy" - Textual analysis

“Amy” – Textual analysis



 

“Amy” is a documentary film released earlier in the month of November. The film followed the life of Amy Winehouse, who was a very successful and young singer who, although famous for her singing talent, was shrouded with allegations, drug abuse and hounding of the press on a daily basis who had destroyed her credibility. She died at the age of 27, and was remembered for her voice. The documentary aimed to reveal the real Amy Winehouse, which was backed up by her friends, family and record label company.

In light of this, the film had hard hitting footage of the singer outside of the fame, spotlight and the flash photography. I felt that this was hard hitting as we (the audience) saw how Amy had changed from being a young girl with a talent, to a singer known for drugs and alcoholism later on in her life. The use of personal footage was useful for the fact that it shows how normal Amy was before she founded fortune and other “evil” temptations. One piece of the film which had a huge impact for me was when the footage of the artists last stage appearance of her drunk and not performing. This showed the change of her caused by many factors which the director, Asif Kapadia outlined through the media archived footage and by the key interviewees such as Blake Fielder (Boyfriend and Husband), Mitch Winehouse (Father), and many of Amy’s friends. This is also hard hitting as she did not make a fake persona, like many artists do, but showed the truth on the effects of fame.

The impact of the film was huge. In a cinema, which was filled with other people and their reaction is much better than watching this film on a video site such as YouTube. This is due to the fact that within a cinema, we are exposed to different kinds of atmospheres as many people who are within a cinema gives an honest reaction. This is different from the internet as people may lie within the comments section and an in-depth debate on the internet may not be as kind, but online reviews also have positive reactions. One example of a review with an honest truth is from The Guardian. “Towards the end of her short life, Amy Winehouse’s last single, Love is a Losing Game, sounded like a private lament…Asif Kapadia’s documentary about the singer’s life and death, the song seems to bounce back on its singer, turning the lament into an obituary.”[1] This is a good way to sum up how the film is perceived to the audience. The film to me was a way to explore how those who were close to Amy was effected by the person she became after the glitz, but there is a debate whether one contributor was made to look bad by the director.

The response of Amy’s father, Mitch Winehouse caused anger to the director, as he claims that he was made to look bad. He told The Guardian “It was horrible” He told the journalist of the conversation between Mitch and the film crew, especially the director, “I told them that they were a disgrace. I said: ‘You should be ashamed of yourselves. You had the opportunity to make a wonderful film and you’ve made this.” [2]In defence to the director, it was Mitch himself who showed his true colours. One particular scene was in which he brought a whole camera crew to where Amy was on a relaxing holiday was seen to me as an intrusion of privacy. It was a way to make money on Amy’s success. However in defence to Mitch, the director did select specific interviews in which some of Amy’s friends did blame him for not being there for her when she was younger, which would have been out of his control. I feel that documentary makers do have responsibilities especially when it comes to a film on a deceased person who was famous. One of which is that the makers should obtain the truth from the contributors. This was achieved but in the case of Mitch, the truth can hurt, but this made this film different from the biased types of documentaries.

Looking in to more in- depth to the film, the lyrics of her songs were used, not only as an emotional trigger, but also used to tell the audience of her life. The Director had conducted an interview with The Independent and explained that “Once you read the lyrics, you understand that all the answers are there. There is nothing in the film that isn’t already in the lyrics.” [1] Most of her lyrics did express the way she felt about her life, but also how she felt about people. One of her songs which backs this is “Back to black”. Here is an example of the lyrics –

He left no time to regret
Kept his lips wet
With his same old safe bet
Me and my head high
And my tears dry
Get on without my guy  

This were the lyrics which related to the break up between Amy and Blake. This was featured within the film which I felt, had a powerful meaning on how she felt about her new found life, as if it was a cry for helped. Nobody had replied to her because of the way she had changed, and by the end, it was too late.

In relation to this, the star theory, developed by Richard Dyer can be relevant when looking at Amy. She was seen as a star who's image had tarnished her reputation in her later career, which she was known as because of the media and people who had used her image for jokes and to mock her career. She has followed some of Dyers "common values" of being a star :

·         A disregard for social values, relating to drugs, sex and polite behaviour

·         Conspicuous consumption of sex, drugs and material goods

·         Success against the odds

·       Originality

·         Creativity/ Talent and

·         Youthfulness

 

She showed many of these traits, but I feel that originality and the youthfulness which made her unique to her mass audience. This stayed with her up until her death because she wrote many of her songs and had the willingness to show the world how she felt through music. Although those points of Dyers makes Amy a star, however she does not conform to the classification of a star because she did not have a fake persona and she was not expected by her audience to do anything expected.

 

 

 

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[1] http://www.telegraph.co.uk/film/amy/review/

[2] http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/may/01/mitch-winehouse-interview-amy-documentary-film

Costume choices

I have decided to have a costume which really fits the zeitgeist of the 80s in terms of fashion ideas. The following photos and explanations ideas:

The shirt shows a happy mood for the performer but my idea is to show that under all the colour and patterns, the performer is troubled and emotionally upset. - This will be featured throughout the video and give a nice feel to the video and the performer. This was a very stereotypical of this era and I believe that this may add a little element of comedy into the video.

This is the style of wig that gives the vibe of the era in which the song is set. Again this was a common style in the 1980s and I feel will make the performer memorable to my audience. I will have to purchase this but this should not be a difficult task. I may also have a typical 80s moustache included on the performer, however, this is yet undecided.

The final accessory that I will need will be a style of jeans such as these. I have a pair like this already. Again another style which was commonly seen as a fashion item. This I feel will fit the zeitgeist. The trousers give a message of a broken life, hence the rips and scraggy look and this will fit my performers style.
The styles I have chosen I hope will add an element of comedy but give an overall message to the audience that life is not always as good as you want it to be. I feel that this message may link to the zeitgeist of todays wold on how people have to survive.

The locations for the music video and camera shots.

I have several ideas in which where I will shoot my music video. My initial idea will be use of open and outdoor areas, to show an isolation for my artist. This may consist of an open field with a city or rolling hills in the background. This will require a wide/long shot and an establishing shot to show my audience where the specific section of the song- The chorus will take place. Of course I will shoot in this location several times to show a change in emotion so that the audience can see a change in attitude in which I hope will grip them to watching the video.

I feel that this location can show seclusion and loneliness, which is what I want to focus on as the performer has lost his popularity - for only the Chorus, but maybe for short cuts in between specific sections. it does give that desired effect. - The location for this will be Holmgate park, located near to Clay Cross.



Another location in which I am considering shooting a sequence of the music video will be in a large, indoor area. This will host the scene where the performer has gone to gamble, but ends up losing. This will be the start of the video where he (The performer) enters to a table with other people (secondary characters) will be sat, with cards on the table. For this I shall consider using a limited amount of lighting, to give it a dark to make it look like a stereotypical 80's film gambling scene. The camera shot involved will consist of close up ( For emotional use), long shots (to show the table and the other people around the table) and a panning shot ( When he enters and leaves). I may use the school dance room in the PE department as it has an open space and can have the desire to give an effect. This however is dependent on availability.


I will also shoot in other locations. These scenes will occupy little parts of the video to show the journey. The cuts required for these will be simple cuts as these show a shortened journey for the performer.  Places such as on a pavement will be used to show a developing journey after the poker scene and throughout the video.

The distribution process

The distribution of music in todays society has been more easy than before. the industries themselves can upload specific tracks on to a specific website through a contract. However, physical distribution is also a key part to the music industry to reach the audience who can't access the internet. The industries will hire such companies who distribute the music through physical format to stores all around the world to grab the attention of the attended audience. As an editor on an article called Tune Core explains why distribution is important - "The music industry is about distribution.  Record labels make the "thing" to give to the distributor.  The distributor puts the "thing" in the store.  The record label then markets the "thing" to create demand. Stores have a limited amount of shelf space and can only have a limited number of CDs in stock.  If a CD is not on a shelf, it cannot sell.  Therefore, having a powerful distributor is important as it can force CDs onto the shelves " [1]

There is competition within the distribution industry as these companies want to make as much money as possible so that they can turn a profit. They also invest in artists or professionals to design an eye catching cover to grab their intended audience. As well as this, the input of the singer is also important. They would be considering the following, "How do I promote my music? How do I better reach my fans?" [2] With this in mind, this can now be imputed into the CD distribution  and then allow time for sales of the CDs. The distributors will then get a percentage of money made and the rest will go to the artist.

[1] - http://www.tunecore.com/guides/promote_introduction
[2] - http://www.songcastmusic.com/faq/what-is-disc-on-demand

The production process of a music video

The production process of a music video is similar to that of a normal film, but the time to construct and produce the video itself is quicker and less stressful. The website author for "Video maker"  explains how a common music video is made, step by step. However we will focus today on the production.

The author explains a little of the history and also explains how people use the art of video to create their own view on the world of music -"In the last 25 years, the invigorating art form of making a music video has grown to be one of the most influential and individually stylistic modes of production in the industry. From the first frame to the last, music videos serve as a blank canvas to your mind's eye, a place to show the world what you can really do when let loose with a camera." This is significant for a person to be encouraged to create something that has meaning to the person and to spread this across the world, for all to see.

The site page (article) has specific points on the processes of the video production. As the author has stated, the end product only has "one purpose: promotion." This would have to be in mind throughout, even though the creator has some form of artistic freedom.
"The music video is a promotional tool for the artist. It sometimes serves as a conduit to attention from a label, but more often it is a catalyst for CD sales or artist song downloads. While a hit video can do a lot for you as a director, its primary goal is to serve the music artist." The director and producers have to work with several guidelines and systems in order to produce the perfect music video such as the budget (small or a large budget), locations and licencing issues.

There is also a section on the workflow in which many people manage when creating such videos as there are many distraction which could halt production, but this can easily be diverted so that the inspiration and artistic value can continue. Storyboarding is another and crucial prospect when it comes to production. Below is a common storyboard which is used to visualise the actions and locations on the page:

This will be their backbone when the artist comes to producing the video itself and the idea's present can be changed later, which can affect the initial finished storyboard. But this is not a problem. of course this will be a key step in my own music video production and will be very useful to me during the production and even post production period.

After the video is complete the website looks at the "audio playback" aspect. The author quotes that (relevant to my video) "if you plan on doing any sort of lip and instrument synching, good technique is a vital part of your finished product." However from this can pose a little problem. From my own experience with my practice video, the timing of the lyrics on the audio and the footage recorded can be tricky to prize together, but this is possible - "prior to shooting your video, examine the song thoroughly. Find natural breaks in the song; then, using the editing software of your choice, cut the song up into parts and add an audio countdown to each segment." This will be useful when I come to do this
This article has been useful for this textual analysis of the production process of a music video. From this I have gained some ideas with the production and audio side.

Source:
http://www.videomaker.com/article/13049-the-art-of-making-a-music-video

The audience

My audience ideas using three different theories which define a specific audience
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The "Star"Theory