For the media A2 coursework we have been given two options of what we can do.
1. Music Video together with a CD/DVD cover
a magazine advertisement
2. Film Trailer together with a front cover of a film magazine and
a poster for the film
To help me decide which of the two i will pick for my coursework pick I've started to analysing both a music video and film trailer.
For all of my research invlolving videos(film trailers) I will be using You Tube as seen below.
MUSIC VIDEO
The Beastie Boys : Sabotage
This video was one we looked at in lesson as an example of how to analyse a music video. I have developed the notes we made for a clear analysis of the video.
Target Audience-The core audience the video is aimed at would be fans of the band roughly the same age as the band members. They could also be in their late teens, early twenties and being mainly boys.
Narrative Style-The video is a pastiche of American cop shows. It uses the conventions of a typical American cop show/film. It acts as a spoof as it has typical plots of these types of shows. Plots include a cops vs robbers scenario where drugs, rookie cops, explosions and chases are included.There is no strong lead and is broken up into short,sharp story plots, not following the classic narrative prop structure of a typical video.
Setting-The characters in the video are played by the band members. They do this as they know this is what the audience wants to see. They expect to see them and having the band featured in the video is a typical convention of a music video .Showing the band being cool, funny and exciting attracts audiences into watching their favourite band.
Costume- The costumes show a great deal of intertextuality in the video.The costumes used reflect the 1970s/80s cop shows with moustaches, big glasses, big hair and also the huge sideburns.They are dressed smartly and how we would expect 1970s/80s American cops to dress.
Lyrics- There is a link between the lyrics and the video but it is not a precise match. It is the feeling of the lyrics, and how we interpret them. The lyrics and how they are sung, are powerful, strong and exciting reflecting the story of the video( cops ). However they do not follow each other word by word.
Special Effects-The special effects in this video reflect the ones in the shows. Spike Jones ( the director ) has deliberately made the effects look unrealistic. As it is a spoof of American cop shows it uses the same effects such as random explosions ( looks very unrealistic ) and people being thrown out of cars and off a bridge. For this they use a dummy and we are meant to see it is a dummy to reflect the terrible special features they have in these types of shows.
Camera Angles-The camera angles and editing match the tempo and pace of the song.There are quick, snappy shots that last only one or two seconds. There are also many different shots, distances and movement reflecting the video's spoof element. The tempo of the shots and editing slows down when the songs does.
FILM TRAILER
Halloween
Target Audience-The core audience this film trailer is aimed at people who are into the horror genre and roughly around 15 and over as this is certificated as 15. Film is aimed at both men and women but could be seen as aimed more at men as this is a gory horror.
Narrative Style-This film trailer consist of all the conventions of a horror film trailer. Including the ghostly setting,murders, gore, and the creepy mask the killer is wearing. The plot of the film is the story of Michael Myers having already shown signs of psychopathic tendencies, on the night of Halloween he murders his sister, her boyfriend, a boy at school and his mother's boyfriend, but leaves his baby sister untouched. A main focus in the film is the boy's obsession with paper mache masks. Fifteen years later he escapes!On the night of Halloween he returns home, finds a kitchen knife and an old Halloween mask he hid under the floor boards all those years ago. This mask is now the face of the protagonist, Michael Myers who again is on a killing spree, to find his younger sister again.
Setting- The setting of the film starts of in an ordinary American home until Myers starts to kill everyone in the house. Until his trial he is put into a mental home. This is a typical setting for a horror film as these people show elements that scare audiences. As the murders take place on Halloween this adds an element of an eerie atmosphere as people are already spooked as that is what Halloween is about.
Costume- There are many costumes within the film as it is based on Halloween. However the main costume is Michael Myers mask. The pale white face, dark hair and wrinkled face immediately portrays a protagonist that is out to kill. Other characters are dressed in everyday clothes to emphasise the portrayal of his mask.
Lyrics(Captions)-There are no 'lyrics' in this as it is a film trailer. However in this trailer captions are used to add an element of suspense to the story.
"Inside everyone of us, there exists a dark side"
"Pure Evil"
These are gripping captions from the beginning of the trailer, they interest the audience and convince them to continue watching the trailer and further more to convince them to go see the film. These are typical conventions of a horror film trailer and i plan to have them in my trailer.
Special Effects-The only special effect in this video is when the boy is sitting in the back of the car there is a sudden flash and his face changes into something evil looking,There is then another flash and it cuts to the next shot. This represents the evil side inside him and his obsession with masks.
Camera Angles-There is a variety of camera angles within this trailer. The one i picked up on was when Michael Myers burst in through the door. The camera is shaking here to show the panic of the girl and his point of view.
In this video I notice the editing was crucial when building up towards the end title of the film. The editing starts off slow, whilst it gives an insight to the story. The shots then become quicker and with faster editing it creates tension and builds up to the climax. This seems to be evident in many horror film trailers and is something I will have to consider when creating my trail, in order to follow the conventions.
