So in class we were forced politely requested to create six word stories under certain titles.
1. Happiness Is... Everything you ever wanted in life.
2. Childhood Memories... Blissful appreciation of all there is.
3. When I grow I up... I wanna be famous, I wanna...
4. The best thing about this week will be... When the week is over forever.
5. Six word romantic gesture... You look alright, I suppose, matey.
6. Your future epitaph... He was alright, I suppose, matey.
And that's what we had chose to do during our lesson in college. I'll probably do something more interesting next time, but for now this is all I have. I know, it's completely uninteresting in several ways, but this is all I have. I might do something tomorrow to celebrate the end of September, where I will politely request you wake me up.
Like I promised, I have been given another college related assignment in which I am required to write for this blog again. This time, we're talking about the exciting process of getting the commissioning for a music video. Fun.
In order to get hired for a music video, you need certain things. Following my recent revelation that Kanye West is, in fact, not a demi-God, I have now set my new main man as some guy called "Emil Nava". His name is so incredible that I can't help but take his advice. In an interview he had with The Guardian, he says that the main skill that is required is the ability to talk to people. He cites this ability as invaluable, by saying that he needs to be good with his crew, artists and clients (and, presumably, any actors, people who bring him biscuits on his break and the people who coat the faces of others with so much make-up that it blends into their blood stream and they become a half make-up, half human mutant that will one day rise up and take over the world). Once being on good terms with these people, you are then prepared to be able to make your video as everyone will be more willing to be on your side and agree with your ideas.
He makes note that he started off making complicated videos, but he got more into his own style of more simplistic and artistic videos by working on a lower budget, and then learning from there on how to improve these simplistic ideas on a bigger budget. Emil Nava works with Jessie J, who is a music artist you probably heard of, and may even like - I don't, but he's clearly a right lad and worth hanging out with.
Typically a person seeking a music video to be made (the clients) would have requests sent out with a brief on what they desire in a video to directors they desire to work on their project. These people would then write down and prepare an idea and pitch for their idea, and present it to the clients. The clients then get the final say on which one they see as perfect. This means if two people were to present an idea to the client, where one was more relevant to the brief and with better ideas set up, then they would be more likely to be requested for the job.
The commissioning process would be the turning point of whether a video gets made properly and who by, following the specification and standards of the chosen director and the clients working together, and the co-operation of the two is necessary to make the perfect video, meaning that, as Emil Nava himself said, the director would require people skills to make the most out of what he wants with the client.
And that, lads and ladies, is how a person is commissioned for a music video. Thanks again for putting up with me, and make sure you brush your teeth on a regular basis.
He's living in the 21st century, doin' something mean to it. Do it better than anybody you ever seen do it. Screams from the haters got a nice ring to it. He guess every superhero needs his theme music.
No one man should have all that power, the clocks tickin' he just counts the hours. Stop trippin' he's tripping off the power.
21st century Kanye West.
This blog post is all about the man, the myth, the legend, Kanye West.
Kanye was born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1977. At the age of 3 he and his mother moved to Chicago, Illinois. At the age of 5, Kanye West began to write poetry, and in the third grade he began to rap and started making musical compositions in the seventh grade, which he began selling to other artists. After being noticed by larger and larger artists, he started working for production companies creating music tracks for other artists, working with smaller artists initially, but eventually working with larger artists such as Eminem by the late 1990's.
Despite trying to get his career as a rapper started, many artists and producers refused to work with him, seeing him as too kind and nice of a person. In 2002, after falling asleep at the wheel of his car after having working hard for the whole day, Kanye crashed his car. In recovery, he had his mouth wired shut, and decided to use this as a basis for his new song, which served as the start of his breakthrough, turning him into a global artist.
West's first album, "The College Dropout", was a critical success, but due to many people copying a similar style for use in their music, he felt it wasn't enough and that he had to rewrite the way modern music was produced. His change in musical style got him noticed by the press, and he was hired to present a concert for hurricane release with actor Mike Myers. In their speech together, Kanye deviated from the script to say 'George Bush doesn't care about black people.' (These are not my words and I insist that you do not hate me for my use of them, I was simply quoting Kanye)
This began a major controversy that turned West from being the 'too good for rap music' producer into a controversial figure that makes the internet make jokes about him. A long battle ensued with George Bush, the president of America at the time, that eventually resulted in George Bush apologising for his statements. With this, Kanye became empowered (possibly the basis for the song 'Power', which is pretty much the only good Kanye West song) and changed into the celebrity that the internet loves to make fun of.
This shows a transformation in character, and to link this blog back to what it claims to be, a film blog, I will tie this into character arcs. No single event changed Kanye - a series of vastly different events changed the man into what he is, and that is something that shows. Kanye's change in character and personality made him something completely different to what he was at the start of his career, which has provided him more publicity than he had before. This shows his change was what made him who he is and that it will never change back, as it has been more successful.
And with that, we draw to the conclusion of this ramble. Chances are, I will put the next one of these out the next time my college tutor provides us with work to do at home, but you can always check out my more analytical blog that is literally called "Early Editing Techniques", here if you really adore me that much: http://rcedteblog.blogspot.co.uk/
And if you do adore me that much... That's weird and I think we should see different people, it's not working out, because as a wise man once said; "These are very poor quality shoes." - Martin Luther King
Thank you for putting up with this dire abomination of a blog.
Usually today, if a song exists, it will have a music video behind it to either enhance the experience, make you think, or make you regret living. In what will be my first attempt at creating a blog ever, I shall attempt to discuss the former two options present in a few music videos that I like.
To start us off, I think I'll mention what is one of my favourite music videos to watch in the song "Oblivion" by Bastille.
The video tells an interesting story, and it does so with subtlty. Rather than being loud about it and showing movie clips, or giving a simple showing of events throughout it, it opts for telling the story through emotions. The video primarily focuses on Sophie Turner, singing along to the song, (which I will go on record to say is not amongst my favourites in the slightest), and it evokes emotion in the watcher and listener, as it fits in that what you see matches up almost perfectly with what you hear. Every so often, the camera will cut to something else, to show the watcher that the video takes place in a track for a demolition derby, to interest the watcher in wanting to watch the video to the end to find the reasons. The video starts showing a picture of the real singer, suggesting that in the context of the video, something happened to him, and that Sophie Turner's actions are based around this, so that when she herself enters the derby at the end of the song, it implies that her singing of the song is a method of remembering the singer before she puts her life on the line, hinting at forms of depression present in the loss of a loved one, and intriguing the viewer. From research, it seems that this follows on from other videos from the band, which all imply that the singer was kidnapped and killed, but of this I can't be too sure, as they are, as I said, not my favourite band of all time.
Another intriguing video for different reasons would be "Neglected Space" by Imogen Heap.
This video doesn't show a lot. Heck, it barely shows anything, but what it does show is very interesting in the way it is dimly lit and sets off a horrific vibe, that fits in rather well with what you are listening to. Unlike Bastille, I enjoy listening to Imogen Heap's music and the atmosphere set off by the unsettling and often creepy song fits the tone and mood present in the video as it shows eery versions of everyday objects, also fitting with the theme of the title implicating this video to be showing a space that has been neglected. Like the song, the video picks up towards the end in intensity before settling down at the same time, making the viewer feel involved in the video as well as the song as it goes on. The video is very interesting to watch and creates a sense of mystery and intrigue that is somewhat open to interpretation.
Following the theme of open to interpretation music videos, is "'Cause I'm A Man" by Tame Impala.
The song sets off a very weird tone and this is complimented entirely by the inclusion of the mysterious and confusing video that causes uncertainty in the viewer during and after watching the video. It is open entirely to interpretation and creates an odd feeling of warmth and comfort while also scaring and confusing the viewer at the same time. The unusual blend of emotions sets a peculiar theme to the experience that can not be described fully. The simplicity of what is happening makes the video appealing to watch, in a similar way that Neglected Space's video was simple and yet was able to stir emotions and cause intrigue. The video is bright and colourful, but with a variety of different colours that confuse your emotions and make it a bit of a jumbled mess, but make it even more oddly satisfying to watch.
Other honourable mentions for videos I enjoy, but not songs I necessarily enjoy, are as follows:
Skrillex & Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley - Make it Bun Dem
David Guetta - Titanium ft. Sia
These videos are similar in that they're just interesting to watch with a weird and peculiar story, and fit the music more enjoyable to listen to. "Make it Bun Dem" almost makes me enjoy listening to Skrillex, the video is that good and well made... Almost.
Other honourable mentions for videos and songs I enjoy:
Fountains of Wayne - Stacy's Mom
I'm not explaining myself on this one. The video's just fun and makes a non-serious song even less serious, which I think is good. It's not on here for the middle section, honest.
Billy Talent - Rusted from the Rain
The story told is fairly emotional and interesting, and while it doesn't fit with the song all too much, it definitely makes it more enjoyable to watch.
Toto - Africa
One of my favourite songs ever. Honestly, I don't have much to say about the video, it's good, but I just didn't want the whole blog to consist of kind of okay songs as well as Skrillex, so here it is. Hope you enjoy listening to it.
I could go on and mention more songs, but I think other more professional bloggers would have probably ended a while back, so I'll finish here. If you decide to read this, any feedback would be appreciated.
Is asking for feedback even allowed in a blog? Eh, it'll probably be fine, and if not, then it probably won't matter.
