Genre

I have chosen to use, Weezer island in the sun for my music video, as this is not a pop genre, i will be changing the genre of my video to indie rock. I've decided to do this as many music videos are pop music and i would like to challenge the stereotypical pop video by creating something slightly different, that is still current and could be as liked as the pop videos already on the market. As the pop market is very saturated, it would be easy for me to take other peoples ideas to create a pop video, whereas changing my genre would make the video more challenging for me to create.

Research and planning on Prezi

Denotations and Connotations of images

Ansel Adams- oak tree.

Denotations: Oak tree, sunrise, black and white,  dawn, shadow, foreground and background, landscape, countryside, field.

Connotations: The oak tree shows the field/tree has been there for a very long time, the photographer has used sunrise to get the shadow of the tree, creating a haunting, spooky effect. The foreground is in focus and silhouetted due to the light being behind the tree. The background is misty and a lighter grey compared to the main tree, therefore keeping the focus of the audience on the foreground. The large field with one tree on its own creates a sense of loneliness within the image. The black and white connotes the image could be old and even taken using a film camera.

Eamonn Mccabe.

Denotations: Black and white, old man, homeless?, smoking, wrinkly.

Connotations: This image is black and white showing it could be an old photo. The wrinkles connote to me that the man has lived  and has possibly been neglected therefore he could be homeless. He is also smoking and wearing a wooly hat which adds to the evidence that he could be homeless. He has deep eye bags shadowing his face that make him look tired and worn.

Man ray.

Denotations: Black and white, Movement, blurred, Ghostly, middle aged, dramatic.

Connotations: This image is also in black and white showing it could be an old image. It is also blurred, this could have been on purpose with intentions of it looking spooky, ghostly or even futuristic, or by accident as the model could of moved creating this strange effect. The woman is middle aged with a shocked facial expression, this adds to the Spooky effect.

The difference between indie rock and pop

Pop: The conventions of pop music videos are, sexualised images, close ups of the artist, about love and boyfriends/ girlfriends. They are usually shot in a studio. Girls heavily made up. Pop videos that obviously contain these conventions are, Rihannas videos, the saturdays ect. Below are some shots from Rihannas videos that are very sexualised to gain an audience.

Indie rock: indie rock is more alternative music, they usually include avant garde shots with alternative dressed people. The videos do not usually have narrative as the music is good, therefore not needing to use sexualised girls to attract an audience. Below are some shots from the original Weezer video, island in the sun.

Song ideas

I have chosen these 3 songs for a possible song to the video i will be making. They are very different styles, but i have some ideas for each of them. Therefore i will ask my peers on which one they think will work best.

My ideas at the planning stage

I have decided to make a short music video for my coursework piece. I haven't decided on the genre yet as i have not been inspired by any particular song. But i have been deconstructing songs of the pop genre to help me consider ideas for my video. If i was to make a video like the ones i deconstructed, the shots and settings in them, are more realistic for me to be able to film. This is why i chose them. Next im going to find a couple of songs that i like and ask my peers to pick the one they think will work best for a video. I will then story board some ideas and the narrative of what could work in my video. Also gaining inspiration from other videos i have seen and also asking my peers, what the song makes them think of, to then make a mood board. 

Audience Theory

Hypodermic needle theory: This theory suggests that the media's message is bullet fired from the 'media gun' into the viewers head. It suggests that the media injects its message straight into the passive audience, who are then instantly affected by this message. The public essentially cannot escape from the medias influence and is concidered a 'sitting duck'. This suggests that the public is vunerable to the messages shot at them because of the limited communication tolls and the studies of the media's effect on the masses at the time. I could use this in my magazine, by presenting my own or other opinions as facts, therefore my reader will be more pursuaded to believe the information i am showing them. 

Uses and gratifications theory: This is an approach to understanding mass media and mass communication. The theory discusses how users proactively search for media that will not only meet a given need but enhance knowlage, social interactions and diversion. It assumes that members of the audience are not passive but take an active role in interpreting and integrating media into their own lives. The theory also holds that audiences are responsible  for choosing media to meet their needs. The approach suggests that people use the media to fulfil specific gratifications. This theory would then imply that the media compete against other information sources for viewers gratification. I can use this in my magazine by putting in real life stories about the public and opinions on things, that my reader can relate to or agree/ disagree with. 

Two step flow theory: The two step flow theory says that most people form their opinions based on the opinion leaders that infuence the media. Opinion leadersare those initially exposed to specific media content, interpret based on their own opinion and then begin to infiltrate these opinions through the general public who then become 'opinion followers'. These 'opinion leaders' gain their influence through more elite media as opposed to mainstream mass media. I can use this technique in my magazine by adding a pop star to my double page spread, it would be a girl because her actions and fashion will influence my audience beacuse they could be an icon to my readers and they may want to be more like them, for example their fashion or how they act and personallity.

Audience reception theory: A basic acceptance of the meaning of a specific text tends to occur when a group of readers have a shared cultural background and interpret the text in similar ways. It is likely that the less shared heritage a reader has with the artist, the less the person will be able to recognise the artists intended meaning, and it follows that if two readers have vastly different culteral and personal experiences, their reading of a text will vary. I am able to encorporate this into my magazine because i am designing it for a target audience of girls my age, therefore i will already have shared views and decisions with my reader