Performance conventions analysis (Tesseract - Concealing Fate pt 2)

Concealing Fate by Tesseract is a huge musical project that was filmed during recording.

As a performance based video it lays down some important rules;

1) cut to the beat.
-you can not have a performance video that is not cut to the beat. Complete synchronisation is required for the video to make visual sense.

2) Follow the pace.
-When editing it is very important to follow the pace of the song and match it to the edit. So, a faster section of song would require a faster pace of transition.

3) Follow the solo
-When a musician takes the solo, it is the focal point of the song. Therefore, it should be the focal point for the video.

4) Follow the intricacies
-Songs are full of little fills and parts that will only be fully acknowledged if you bring attention to them. Ensuring you have them shot and in time will enhance the song.

5) Film the whole band.
-The lead singer is not the focus of the band. He is merely the vocalist, and one of 4 or 5 usually. Capturing the band equally creates an all rounded music video and is vital to promote the song and the band as a unit.

6) It's a performance video
-There is not much need for acting or filler in a performance music video; it weakens the visual element of their performance and musicianship.

These 6 rules are ones I have followed with strong devotion when filming my music video.

The narrative structure for this music video is generally unconventional - the narrative does not follow a plot line or a story line, but it is in complete synchronisation with the music and follows the themes of the song. It also follows the musical structure of chapters (verses/chorus etc) For example, when the pace of the song picks up or slows down, the editing follows. Up until 0:40 seconds, the editing is slow, but when the drums enter the song and introduce the first section of song, it carries the speed of the editing with it. It can be referred to in similar musical terms - crescendo and decrescendo of pace.
The narrative is linear, completely reliant and proportionate to the development of the song - the narrative is the representation of the song; there are no inferences or hidden meanings behind shots, but the shots are effective in portraying the instruments playing that section in the best possible way.

This is genre atypical again; it's not pop-punk, but its also a performance (and obscure) genre. 'polyrhythmic' progressive metal and follows all the same performance conventions. The video relies on more intricate camera work and has a less demanding focus on other narrative features. The genre itself is far from 'glossy' or decorative. Image is not an issue either; all members are wearing plainly coloured clothes.
This is a contrast to Pop Punk. The analysis of Decade - Brainfreeze follows the genre conventions, but also the narrative expectations of the genre. The lighting is particular and exciting; a vintage feel is given by the plain hanging light bulbs. Mise en scene is addressed well; a very old-school look to the studio and they are dressed up fashionably (casually) and the editing progresses with the song.

My video is a cross of the two; my lighting is honest but effective; dual flood lamps gave the strong lighting element that Tesseract use, but without the determined solemnity that they have - Pop-Punk, and indeed the song I'm using is far too upbeat for the tone they hold. The song is upbeat and if they were to be solid in their performance, then there would be no enjoyment or any relevance for a visual element. However, due to the strength of their performance, the focus on the intricacies of the song (Rules 3, 4 and 5) and the narrative of the song is then therefore carried through their performance. My narrative is linear, with strong crescendo and decrescendo of pace. It follows all the audible elements of the song and captures them visually to all round enhance the experience of watching the video. It's very important for my video to have captured the minor sections of song in unconventional or unusual ways. Also, due to the genre itself, I found that my intention to use a barn was inappropriate to the video and didn't suit the narrative. The narrative being, pop punk being a very city-based genre - unrelaxed, upbeat. The fast pace of the song was more appropriately captured in a small confined space; the studio.

Genre analysis (of the band I'm using)

This video, is another video by the band, which reinforces all my previous statements about the genre. This is a self-sanctioned and financed music video by themselves; so they have exotic and bizarre lighting and their use of mise en scene is far more focused on the song: Monster Mashed is all about energy drinks, so hyperactivity and cans everywhere is a must - it creates a narrative in a way.
But the shot variety shows that these music videos are shot in the same way - the same shot types and shot angles appear throughout the genre.

Shooting Schedule

Shooting Schedule

 

Date and time	Location	Travel	Cast	Crew	Equipment	Props & Costume	Scene & shots
8:00pm – 10:30pm 14/10/13	Earth Studios	Lift down.	Dying Breeds – the band.	Me: camera.	Camera, Twin flood lighting	Instruments. Black and white costume scheme.	Entire shot sequence for studio
	~~~~~	Appeared somehow.	Jonny Percival	~~~~~	Bass, amp.	Bass, amp. Black tee	All shots for bassist completed
	~~~~~	Drove down.	Joel Mullin	~~~~~	Drums, sticks, cymbals etc.	Drums, sticks, cymbals etc. Black tee.	All shots for drummer completed.
	~~~~~	Drove down.	Tom Ralphs	~~~~~	Guitar, mic and amp.	Guitar, mic and amp. White tee	All shots for singer completed
	~~~~~	Drove down.	Andrew Jeckell	~~~~~	Guitar, mic and amp.	Guitar, mic and amp. Guitar pick with his own face. Black tee.	All shots for guitarists featured.

Video after effects (Doctoring the footage)

Just trialed a few after effects for the clips.
Used the same clip with several different appearances.

Shot list

Word based prompts for shots:

Drums:

Panning shot of drums
Aerial shot of drums.
Side shot(s) of drums.
Rotating shot of drums. (midshot/longshot)
Pedal shot of drums. (extreme close up)
Hi-hat shot. (close up/angle shot)
Bell cymbal (accent note) shot

Bass:

Bass tuning (close up - sidewards angle)
Bass plucking (extreme close up)
Fret changing (CU)
Bass slapping (CU)
Bass picking (CU)
Mid shot of bassist
Fretboard (stock) shot of bassist (CU)
shot from bass guitar body, over the scratchpad. (obscure angle midshot)

Guitarists:

Shot of solo (close/mid/long shots)
stock head shot of intro (CU)
plucking shot (CU)
close shot of pinched harmonic (Extreme close up)

Singer:

Mic grab shot (close up shot)
Mid shot of singing
Side shot of singer singing a line
upper mid shot featuring singer and harmonic singer.
Call and response singing, caught in a wide mid shot.

Whole band:

Jump shot
Guitarist and Guitarist II playing together. (midshot)
Midshot capturing whole drum kit, with 1 or 2 guitarists?

Shot example of filming

Story Board (whole shoot)

Dying Breeds - Sword or Damocles lyrics

Sword of Damocles

Balancing above my head
An edge with potential
Collateral damage
My, it's a savage way to fall
And if there's one thing I've said
It's to know when to play dead

Managing to stay above
Despite outlines of chalk
Out on the town, gotta frown cuz we've slowed to pretty much a walk
And if there's one thing I say
It's to live for yesterday

Child lid still a problem
Bayside on my CD player
Never one for attention, guess I'll just make do and slay the time
The sword of Damocles will bring you down
Haunched over, crouched on your knees

Sweating like a rapist in court
No, I'm never bored (not as it is in here)
Take the A off apathetic and what have you got?
And if there's one thing I've said
It's to know when to play dead

Take a D out of sedated and you can't stand up
It's irrelevant; the merriment; you really meant that glee you said
And it's all in my head

And if there's one thing I'm good at
It's curiosity and the cat

Child lid still a problem
Bayside on my CD player
Never one for attention, guess I'll just make do and slay the time
The sword of Damocles will bring you down
Haunched over, crouched on your knees 

Treatment

My music video is solely performance based. This is not uncommon in more alternative genres however. A plot-line narrative would be inappropriate for the genre and band I am using; it's more about the energy and the fast pace of the song than the story line that could accompany it.
I'm using both location and studio for my production.

My location is an old farm warehouse; a huge open space with plenty of opportunities for shot variety. I would place flood lights at either side of the band, to create either thick shadows or a huge glowing light upon them. There would be plenty of room to move about and huge filming potential. This is an unlikely location as Pop-Punk is generally more of a city based genre, however, I live rurally, so a barn is more appropriate, and slightly genre-testing.

The studio shots are much closer; I do not want to film the band at this point. I want to film the musicians playing their instruments. The focal point will be the guitar being played, the drums being hit, or the bass strings being plucked.

This means, the location will focus on them, but the studio will focus on the instruments. I like to think this is symbolic of learning an instrument. All the hours of work and years of practice you have to put in and the mastery of technique. This is no issue, as I am a musician myself and have grown up watching other musicians play, so I can correctly document them and film them in the way that enhances them visually.

The location shots will show them as a band. Not individually; there is lots of vanity in music, but if I portray them as a unit, as the band, then I will give no one more fame - They are equal, and they are all components of the final product (the song)

This also means I show the band having fun, which is what pop punk is about. Fans want to see their band play, they want to see them having fun playing it. This is exactly what I'll do - each shot will have them all in, and complete the allegory of the instrument connotation. All the years they have been practicing will lead up to this level of musicianship. Simple but effective, I hope.

In this sense, them playing together on their own mirrors how they play together on a stage. It shows that behind the stage and gigs they still interact with eachother in a similar way; this is exactly how the fans imagine their band, as it's the only time they see them play. This is almost expected of them, and their persona as a band is only fulfilled unless they play and perform on their own as they would as a collective with the crowd.

The editing will be fast paced, more often than not cut to the beat. This is vital for the song, as the video will make no sense if not, as it is purely performance. There will be small features like slow-mo; slow-motion is a risky effect, but I will be using it appropriately and tactfully. I will avoid making it look 'cheesy'. I should have a wide shot variety, so the difficult part will be keeping it in time with the song.

Genre and Performance analysis of Decade: Brainfreeze

Sticking with the same genre of my chosen band, this band are a classic example of genre conventions of Pop Punk. Decade have filmed a music video in their own studio, for simplicity. There is no narrative, other than them playing their instruments. Pop Punk doesn't necessarily require a narrative story in a music video - it's usually solely performance based, as narratives can become quite vague or unnecessary. It's true that there is a sense of vanity in Rock/Punk/Metal and various sub-genres, that the focus is on them, not a story line. Nonetheless, the video has some great examples of atypical shots and the kind of thing to expect.

[0:06] My personal favourite: the sweeping dolly shot, at the drummers level.
Drummers aren't a focal point, they're stuck at the back. The guys with the guitar and the mic are in front, and they're granted more attention. However, this shot allows the whole band to be in the shot, but focus on one particular member.

[0:19] Everybody looking at eachother: The whole point of pop punk, is that it's young, energetic, and friendly. Friends that have decided to make a band. The whole smiling at eachother thing reinforces that it's more about playing songs they like, and enjoy, than anything else.

[0:29] Mandatory guitarist eating microphone shot: When back up vocals are featured, there is always a shot of the back up vocalist singing them. It's a strong feature, and should be entirely cut to the beat. It should be kept to a midshot, or a side on shot.

[0:35]
1) Jumping: Jumping is vital, band movement is a definite requirement in a music video based entirely on performance, and jumping is a recognisable and most obvious form of this. Jumping shows the energy and enjoyment of the genre; they're fully immersed in playing the song and having fun with it.
2) Slow motion playing: When changing into a breakdown, bridge or middle 8 that's comparatively softer or slower, it's not surprising, like in this case, to see some slow motion. Not for a prolonged section of time, but it is an effect that accents something like a band jump perfectly. Too much could ruin it, so it needs to be used within reason.

[1:13] Avoiding eye contact with the camera: the whole point is that the camera is omniscient, and catches them from all angles or positions. A huge shot variety is required for this, but typically, the band pretends the camera isn't there - like they're practicing or just having fun, and it's being documented. It preserves the natural feel of them playing, prevents it looking like they're forced to play.

[2:02] Instrumental intricacies: Any point in the song where a musician plays an interesting fill or solo, that becomes the focal point at that moment, it's usually included. For example, the drummer is playing a fill to carry the chorus into a middle 8, and it just marks a change. The focus is remaining on the instrument and the music yet again; the narrative is entirely made up of them playing their song.

[2:39] Generally, preference of the instrument and the outfit is chosen over the member's face. This is a touch that I like, and this video uses perfectly. It donates adequate and equal proportions of the shot to each member, or maintaining them all within the frame. There is no dominant member in the video.


The editing is so fast paced, due to the upbeat nature of Pop Punk, and this song especially. The usual variety of shots are wide midshots showing most of the members, or sweeping dolly shots that portray them all individually within the same shot.

This fits in with the genre expectations set by the fans, who don't ususally recognise the band as the people, but as the collective group, and expect to see them play as they would onstage, the video reflects their persona on stage entirely. So to see them stationary, with almost 'wooden' presence betrays the ideas or visual portrayals the fans have for the band.

Location 1

This is a panoramic shot of a possible location. It's an in use barn (it's not linear, like the picture suggests)
but it looks like it would be a nice little spot to have a band play in. It's roomy, and when the doors are closed, pitch black. I have flood lighting, so it would entirely fill and cast huge shadows onto the background.

Side view; very enclosed from the back, open from the front. Amphitheater seating feel; very simple but lots to work with. Hay bales can serve as a platform, as guitarists tend to jump off as much as possible.

Band's permission

A2 Music Video possibility

Dying Breeds
http://dyingbreeds.bandcamp.com/track/sword-of-damocles


Song: Sword of Damocles
Album: Dying Breeds (self titled)
Length: 2:41
Genre: Pop Punk/Indie Rock

Kasabian - Fire (Narrative analysis)

Kasabian - Fire

 

Kasabian videos often feature heavy narratives; the song 'Fire' almost seems like an adaptation of an old Western film - the ending is very much a parody of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid's iconic ending.

It starts with shots of them being introduced - Tom walks up to the reflective window and sings to himself, looking at his reflection and possibly thinking through his proposed actions - setting a story for the music video. Serge is also introduced, pulling a classic Western pose.

 

We then come across a flash forward, showing a bag full of sheet music been blown across a dusty road, in slow motion. This is the first instance that we realise that music is being used as a substitute for other things - sheet music represents money and their guitars are used as guns.

 



We see various characters being introduced, all their stories intertwined - an omnipresent narrator shows all aspects.
An effective aerial shot shows all these characters coming together.

The editing for this section is generally slow - the feel and tempo of the song is currently soft and slower, so the editing is set to match that. However, when the chorus kicks in, the editing picks up a bit, and switches over to a different perspective.

We can see this town is quite linear, like an old Western town would be - the location is perfect for the story, and the use of vehicles add a sense of modernity to the mise en scene.

The perspective given now, is from CCTV cameras in the bank itself. The post production effects consist of making the shot grainy and a timer, to give the impression of genuine CCTV footage from this bank. We again see the representation of music brought up again; Serge is brandishing his guitar in a pose that suggests violence - like a gun aimed at those around him. A clever musical touch onto a classic western theme.

The music video is generally linear, but on occasion returns to Tom singing to his reflection again - giving a sense of a protagonist and a character embodying a parallel narrator - his vocal line is carrying the story. It also returns to a shot of the bassist, who is dressed to look somewhat like an average southern American and a VW Campervan following alongside - suggesting towards a getaway vehicle.

The plot then loops again, becoming circular, as it shows Tom's entry into the bank, as oppose to Ian and Serge's entry into the story.

The police are then introduced - first through them carrying on the gun/guitar metaphor - which is perfectly portrayed by them picking up guitar's from a gun rack, in the recognisable police-emergency fashion, and the brilliant poster next to it; it's continued by the police shooting a band member in the bank, creating a plot dynamic, called a twist. The video also returns to its linear format.

"No loaded or concealed guitars allowed beyond this point"

A brilliant mid shot that shows the police engaging in musically thematic violence, and an extreme close up of the first 'gunshot' all in a tight shot


The bank vault scene is deliberately a tight shot, to show the claustrophobia and panic in this section of the story - we see the shot member against the wall. The editing remains fast paced, but the transition is a soft fade, to reflect the synth section between the choruses.




The editing remains fast again, but the camera shots enjoy a longer duration; the shot variety consists of mid shots from both infront, and behind the characters, to show their getaway.








 The screen shot shows a clip where the camera follows Serge around the corner. He's taken the traditional country western musician getup - Cowboy hat and a guitar strapped behind; a perfect use of mise en scene to enhance the story behind the video. This section also features shot/reverse shot of the police chasing them.





The next few shots are where we start to see a parody of the ending to the Western classic Butch Cassidy and the Sun Dance Kid






 Classic Western Style camera shot

Serge's guitar can now shoot bullets. Either mise en scene joke, or a continuation, but, with his facial expression, gives an almost 'Scarface' feel "say hello... " 

 

The shot/reverse shot of them looking at eachother is almost identical to the final scenes in BC&SDK

The bag being thrown is the sequence before we realise the flashforward that the music video starts with originates from this section - we realise that the story is near it's end.

 

 

The plot of this music video then alters again; we see the sheet music floating across the screen, and return to Tom viewing himself in a very reflective window. Out of nowhere, the music video becomes circular again - the VW Campervan is driven again, everyones still alive, and walking into the bank.

 

The video, therefore becomes circular. It ends prior to the music video either completing that sequence, or beginning again, so it's a rather confusing narrative. It follows heavy flashforwards and flashbacks that make it unclear which is which. Furthermore, it's unsure of which tense we are in. Whether the start is a flashback or flashforward or present time. These questions run throughout the whole video. While most of the section remained linear, the returning to various clips make it circular and confusing. However, that does not make it uneffective or by any means unappealing as a narrative. Due to the popular culture reference to Butch Cassidy also allows a pre-figuring or prediction of events (and the anticipation of the famous ending scene) There remains several questions - why are they robbing the bank? Whats the value of the sheet music? the sense of enigma further enhances the plot line.

Essentially, as far as narrative structures go, this music video is condensed full of narrative elements that create a thick and comprehensive story line.

 

 

'Sup