Disco power ballads are ballads with synthesisers and guitars and are made in the 1970's. They are slow paced, poetic and emotional as with most ballads.
It is dreamy as signify by the use of cross fades, bright colours and a sparkely frame
As with heavy metal the video extentuates the intremental tallent of the musicians focusing on the lead singer within the frame and using lots of tracking and 360 degree shots
The female lead is dressed to appeal to the male gaze and the black man stereotypically has an afro and large colar to appeal to moder teenage audiences and fashions of the time
Olivia Newton John - Hopelessly devoted to you [LINK]
Performance based video
Her in blue light signifies sadness and coldness
Cobewebs signify age and is an interextual reference the Lady Havisham
Dressed in fashions of the time
Flowing dressk, cross fades and close ups signify emotionality
The protaganist gets up and out of bed alone in black and white this is to signify that the video is sad, romantic and serious he is lonely.
We see many different types of coupels signified as couples by the use of a two shot
The lesbians and homesexuals shown are stereotypically good looking whith the lesbians in fish net stokings to appeal to the male gaze and the gay couple dancing with makeup on so that they can easily be identified in the short shots. This is an argument for post modernism because although this is a serious song it still is portraying the woman and stereotypes in order to sell the song. However a post feminist would say that the display of the range of couples is in support of free choice.
The binary oposites of the young couple kissing and the old couple kissing are to exagerate there difference and make the audience sympathise with both. It could in a negotiated reading also make them disgusted by putting the old couple last but due to the gentle non diagetic music leads to the preffered reading to sympathise with the old couple.
This is a performance based video with the progressive concept of Michael and a woman intergrated
The woman and Michael appear naked surrounded by pillars there genitals covered by sheets this signifies that are Greek gods and appeals to the male and female gaze
The use of the two shots of them naked together signifies they are in a relationship and have just had sex
The warming lighting colours signifies the characters are content and confortable and that the environment is peacfull. Using the commutation test if the lighting was low key or in complete blackout it would signify fear and heavy metal
The use of the empty theatre Michael appears to be singing in reflects the lyric of the song "alone"
There is slow paced aditing because it is a slow paced song with lots of cross fades
I let the Music Speak by Abba is a Murder Ballad a Ballad is "a form of verse, often a narrative set to music." Types of Ballads include:
Murder
Power
Rock
Folk
Child
Opera
Jazz
Broadsheet
Irish
Robbie Williams and Gary Balow - Shame
This is a folk ballad
Two men looking at each other and in two shots signifies that they are both gay
We see them both taking there shirt off together which leads the audience into the preffered reading that they are about to have sex however they dont
Towards the end they are both about to jump off a cliff into water but decide not to this signifies that they are both metrosexuals
The non diagetic guitar is an intetextual reference to brokeback mountain and laundry room and denim outfit worn by robbie is and intertextual reference to the first gay story on Eastenders
We see them performing in what appears to be a karaoke in the pub as well as the narrative of them meeting up
Using the commutation test and binary oposite if the two men were dressed in black jeans with long hair they would signify heavy metal artists but instead they are wearing blue jeans and have short hair which although less gothic is less metrosexual to signify that these men aren't gay. However there is an argument that the costumes are an intertextual reference to films such as Brokeback Mountain.The shirtlessness appeals to the female gaze.
Leona Lewis - Run
This is a rock ballad
The use of the oval shaped window with a black border signifies sadness
The fact we see the artist alone in a rural area in the moors and in a forrest signifies loneliness
The use of the black dress in to exentuat Leona's bust and appeal to the male gaze showing how although this is a deep song it still has elements of post modenism. A post feminist would say that she is showing confidence and chosing to dress like that. Although a feminist would say that the song portrays a vulnerable character therefore the dress doesn't fit the song and the only reason she is dressed like that is to appeal to the male gaze and sell the song
The notion of looking is shown in the last shot where she looks direectly at the camera
Phil Collins - In The Air Tonight
The notion of looking is shown by the slow focus up and light fade up in as phil collins face is revealed looking in an extreme close up at the camera
This is a concept based video with elements of performance
It is a power ballad
The progression of the concept about life development narrative is signified by the use of the empty room and infinate corridor with many doors
The use of slow cross fades signifies a dream like state
Summary of What Ballad Video's Commonly Include
Mainly narrative based although they can be concept based too all with parts of performance
Emotional and slow
Lots of cross fades and medium close up to close up shots
A panoramic setting shown with long shots to signify the mood of the music so for example Robbie Williams had a waterfall because that song was a happy song about friendship whilst Leona Lewis had a rural setting because it signified loneliness and the song was verry sad
Costume and Mise en Scene is coloured and light to reflect the mood of the song
The notion of looking to either connect with the audience or signify a relationship
The mise en scene appears to be all viking except the players jeans and shirts, intruments and the colours in the performance side of the video however no electrical source of light can be seen
The woman is portrayed countertypically as shown is not wearing skimpy costumes and portrayed sexually she is however portrayed as a more vulnerable person than the men due to her plain dress instead of armour
The performance is warmer in colour than the narritve side of the video portraying a battle to signify the fort they are performing infront of is safe
Whilst in viking time that fashion would have been hetrosexual nowadays it is camp due to the long hair and deep roaring voice with gives the song sex appeal
We see a lot of head banging in the performance as well as crane/tracking shots and close up shots
The drinking and smoking we see of Axel to begin with signifies that he is rebellious and therefore appeals to teen audiences
The extra footage to begin with contains added diagetic sound
The use of the shots of him with no face shown created narrative enigma or it could signify that he is an unlikeable character
He is chewing hay which signifies he is from the southern states of America
We only see the objective and sexist point of view shots of a female's legs and bum as the camera pans upwoulds which supports the feministic view that women dont have equal rights in the video as the men
The notion of looking is shown by the use of the television shop in which we see the face of Axel
The video cuts to the performance side of the video as the beat of the music plays
The performance includes tracking and 360 degree shots focusing on the lead singer
It also includes long shots with the audience included within the frame
The editing is fast paced
Whilst we see the lead singer as the focus of most frames the rest of the band are in the shot too normalkly as a two shot
We see instrumental shots to show off the bands instrumental talent
The long hair of the band creates a band image and signifies that they are metrosexuals to give them sex appeal for female audiences
Sweet Child of Mine
The use of the black and white shots is polysemic and signifies that the video is either old footage,or arty/sophisticated footage but given that it is intergrated with colour shots the audience is lead to the prefered reading that the black and white footage is honest low quality fan based footage
As with most rock bands we see the band logo within the bass drum
The video is a performance based video
The low angle shot of the guitarist signifies that they are in power
We see the camera track which further signifies that the black and white footage is honest
Once again the woman in the video plays little role than just the person who is kissed by the band so therefore we only see her bum
The editing is fast paced and cuts to the beat
The shots start on the lead and end on the lead
We see the fast zoom and wipe cuts
Paradise City
It seems as though they are performing in an empty stadium untill the fast wipe cut round to a full stadium
We see a time lapse of the audience ariving
The use of canted angles could signify the disiness experienced when head banging
The editing is fast pace with focus on the lead singer
Metrosexuality is shown to give the band sex appeal with the long hair and open jump suit
This is also an intertextual referance to Queen as it is dramatic Classic Rock
Although there are countertypical metrosexual signifiers of men their are also stereaotypical scenes of them fighting with the giant octipuss
The scene where he gets hugged whilst naked is an intertextual referance to a pot noodle advert and signifies his naked vulnerability which is again countertypical of the male gender
The notion of looking is shown by his use of looking towards the camera
The visuals have nothing to do with the lyrics because it is a concept based video.
The White Stripes - The Hardest Button To Button
the instrumental talent of the artist is shown off by the animation as one drum gets left behind on every beat
It is a performance based video performed unusually with no audience and outside
The female in the band is portrayed countertypically as no male gaze aspect is shown although she is the focus of the video
The colours of black and red creat a brand image to sell the song
Metalic Death
Thrash
Death
Tech
Death Core
Christian
Grind Core
Folk
Speed
Stoner
Sludge
Speed Death 1
Speed Death 2
Groove
Drone
Celtic
Viking
Progresinve
Metal Core
Pirate
Industrial
Groove
Rap
Funk
Tech Death
Neo Classic
Nu
Symphaiz
Power
Crust
Avant Garde
I have signified the protaganist as elderly in the narative of the lyrics however to fit the codes and conventions of music videos and appeal to teenage audiences the protaganist must be young.
The protaganist will be young and an attractive female to apeal to the male gaze however to fit the protaganist to the idea of bad experience I will portray her as low class. Therefore to meet the stereotype the protaganist will be be dressed in sporty clothing with tied back hair and hoop earings so the audience will signify her as rough, poor and with many problems.
The song lyrics personify powerfull natural things such as the sun and beauty. Since the song is about the consumption of music I will use the 20th most powerfull man in the media and the most powerfull man in the music industry Simon Cowell who I will include in my video to use a celebrity and appeal to modern and wide audiences as they can easily signify the conatations of a video through a face they know. Obviously I cannot get hold of the real Simon Cowell so I will use masks or even half masks as used by Lady Ga Ga.
I like the Idea of the band acting out scenarious to reduce the amount of people I will need such as in the Steps Video Chain Reaction therefore I will use many costumes and four people 2 girls and 2 boys. Again I cannot get Abba so I will use masks.
The narative will go as follows:
A poor rough woman auditions for the X Factor
She gets through
She wins
She becomes a multi million selling artist owned by Simon Cowell
How I will do It:
Performance will be intergrated with the narrative to create 2 scenes.
A member of the group will act as the protaganist and lead the singing.
A long tracking shot will be used of the performance along with close up shots. and medium shots.
I will use the screen within a screen effect and show her on TV or on a poster.
Skimpy clothing and makeup will apeal to he male gaze.
I will use modern fashion and culture to apeal to modern audiences.
Problems I may Face:
Creating a realistic crowd with 4 people however the irony that a succsessfull artist has no crowd creates humour
Getting everyone together
Creating a realistic studio environment
Lip Sinking
Mise en Scene Changes
Shot Variation
The Songs Retold Meaning
I will make it about the falsification of the music industry through shows like the X Factor. The protaganist is saying I let the music itself speak instead of the person who performs it, the television show, the story behind the person, the persons journey, the amount of money invested into its marketing and I speak the music instead of in the X Factor where the songs are re-produced number ones of old songs.
I have chosen the album song "I let the Music Speak" by Abba. Here are the lyrics:
I'm hearing images, I'm seeing songs
Is as the rest of the lines polysemic. This line purposely uses the wrong verb with the wrong nouns to signify either a cathartic experience, a crazy overly emotional character or some sort of drug ussage or disoriantation.
No poet has ever painted
The meaning of the first line is anchored with the meaning of the first to signify the two lines together are an expression of superintelligent inspiration and creativity. The meanings a slowly revealed much like an opening of the film would to create narative enigma and draw it's audience in.
Voices call out to me, straight to my heart
Signifies either: love, God, an argument or some moving event. So strange yet we're so well acquainted
Here she personifies the polysemic event or entity she is describing. I let the music speak, with no restraints
Here it is anchored that she is singing about music although it is polysemic as to whether the music is a metaphor and her expresion of it. An emotional woman is stereotypical of there gender. I let my feelings take over Perhaps the male gaze is appealed to here as this line has connotations of a romantic or sexual experience. The use of a female being expresionate signifies that through the stereotype they are young however the line is polysemic and could also signify that the protaganist is an elderly lady who has regrets about holding back in previouse experiences. Carry my soul away into the world
Using the commutation test this could signify that the song is about suicide however with the other lines it anchors the meaning of the song that it is about a cathartic experience.
Where beauty meets the darkness of the day
This means that the emotions she feels cheer her up. For this line a long shot of a panoramic landscape or sunrise would fit. Where my mind is like an open window
This could signify a clear mind the reasoning for it is polysemic therefore creates narrative enigma.
Where the high and healing winds blow
The binary oposites or the imagery of the darkness of the day and the high winds signifies the conflicts the protaganist faces in the music. The open window signifies the encapsulating experience of the music whilst the wind and beauty signify the cathartic journey it takes her. From my shallow sleep the sounds awake me
This signifies that the protaganist feels awakened and refreshed by music therefore the video should be vibrant in apearance. I let them take me
The protaganist personifies the music as a team of beings. (Let them wake me, let them now, let them take me)
The singer wishes to enjoy the music this could signify she is sentimental and therefore female. Let it be a joke Let it be a smile Let it be a farce if it makes me laugh for a little while Let it be a tear Let it be a sigh Coming from a heart, speaking to a heart, let it be a cry
The protaganist will do anything tto find pleasure in their experience of music perhaps they are bored. Some streets are emptiness, dry leaves of autumn
This is perfect for the video because the lyrics mention autumn and we will be filming in autmn.
Rustling down an old alley
This is a metaphorical setting therefore it will not be used in my video as vibrancy and modern fashions appeal to modern music vieo audiences. And in the dead of night I find myself A blind man in some ancient valley
Here the song changes tone from being joyfull to being sad and depressing therefore the video should change tone to reflect the song. I let the music speak, leading me gently
It is clear I will need to characterise "the music" if I am basing my video on the lyrics. Urging me like a lover
Leading me all the way Into a place Where beauty will defeat the darkest day
Here "the darkness of the day" tale is brought from a disequilibrium to an equilibirum and intergrated within the other narative of her having a cathartic experience. Where I'm one with every grand illusion
This signifies the protaganist has high ambitouns and is easily lead. No disturbance, no intrusion
This signifies that the protaganist is stuborn and self protected. Where I let the wistful sounds seduce me
The male gaze is once again apealed to. I let them use me
The protaganist feels regret about this. (All illusion, no disturbance, no intrusion) Let it be a joke Let it be a smile Let it be a farce if it makes me laugh for a little while Let it be a tear Let it be a sigh Coming from a heart, speaking to a heart, let it be a cry Let it be a tear Let it be a sigh Coming from a heart, speaking to a heart, let it be a cry
The tone of the song has once again changed from being an expresion of want of enjoyment to being a plee for anything but the illusion she is lead into that distrubes her life. Let it be the joy of each new sunrise
The oxymoron of the "darkness of the day" tale is concluded in thay that the beauty being the sun wins these could be metaphors for experiences within her life. Or the moment when a day dies
Perhaps the protaganist is old and regretfull of her life so therefore wishes to rellive them. I surrender without reservation
The protaganist has given in to life and has left it polysemic as to the reasons why. No explanations No questions why
These signify the protaganist hates intrusion or being told what to do. I take it to me and let it flow through me Yes, I let the music speak I let the music speak
The song is about a woman who is possibly elderly and has a regretfull life. She wishes to enjoy the joy and the sorrow she feels when listening to music either becuase she is bored or has given up on life this is polysemic. The song itself is a series of metaphors which create this polysemy it is therefore up to me to create a narrative based on the consumption of music.