James Hanman
Wednesday, 29 September 2010
THE SUBS AGREE ON A SONG!
After presenting our ideas to the class and receiving feedback on these choices, we the mighty Oven Baked Subs and our Colonel have decided to go with 'Mr Brownstone' by Guns N Roses.
It is the strongest idea as we believe it is the song we can be most creative with, and could explore the controversial yet strangely popular music industry topic of drug addiction, obviously in a much more implicit way.
The Performance aspect will be acted out by us, as we have access to musical instruments. We aim to film these parts in a number of locations, creating a sense of live experience and touring which rock fans cherish and favour in their favourite bands. We could film on the school stage, in the blacked out drama rooms and in a practise/ studio facility which we have access to. To establish the rock and roll aspect we will be dressed as stereotypical rock stars, a mix of heavy metal and glam rock, and enact a number of classic moves, such as Chuck Berry's 'Duck Walk', Pete Townshend's 'Windmill' and the 'Powerslide'. The character of Mr Brownstone will appear in several shots, sometimes in the background, other times more prominent, to show that they cannot escape the stigma attached to being famous rock stars, the addiction is ever present, in the backs of their minds.
The narrative/ concept side will consist of the band going about their business offstage, engaging in activities such as autograph signing, photo shoots, relaxing and several others, but no matter what they do Mr Brownstone always appears, trying to tempt them into giving in. By following the band we can address the stigma of being a junkie which is often associated with this form of music, and at the end of the video explore how they overcome the excesses of fame and money with their love for music, an idea which is strongly supported by rock fans, appealing to most rock fans 'all about the music' attitudes. And the strength of the temptation to give in to addiction is notoriously extremely strong amongst rock stars, due to the pressures of fame and the boredom of not being on the road. We also felt that this would give us a lot of opportunities to make Mr Brownstone appear at extremely awkward times.
In making this project, we have several different options for dealing with the subject of drug addiction. We can show the darker side of being a famous rock band, and spread a message promoting the music over the drugs, and we could even almost parody it, making it a lighter form of entertainment, in a way mocking the stereotype.
It is the strongest idea as we believe it is the song we can be most creative with, and could explore the controversial yet strangely popular music industry topic of drug addiction, obviously in a much more implicit way.
The Performance aspect will be acted out by us, as we have access to musical instruments. We aim to film these parts in a number of locations, creating a sense of live experience and touring which rock fans cherish and favour in their favourite bands. We could film on the school stage, in the blacked out drama rooms and in a practise/ studio facility which we have access to. To establish the rock and roll aspect we will be dressed as stereotypical rock stars, a mix of heavy metal and glam rock, and enact a number of classic moves, such as Chuck Berry's 'Duck Walk', Pete Townshend's 'Windmill' and the 'Powerslide'. The character of Mr Brownstone will appear in several shots, sometimes in the background, other times more prominent, to show that they cannot escape the stigma attached to being famous rock stars, the addiction is ever present, in the backs of their minds.
The narrative/ concept side will consist of the band going about their business offstage, engaging in activities such as autograph signing, photo shoots, relaxing and several others, but no matter what they do Mr Brownstone always appears, trying to tempt them into giving in. By following the band we can address the stigma of being a junkie which is often associated with this form of music, and at the end of the video explore how they overcome the excesses of fame and money with their love for music, an idea which is strongly supported by rock fans, appealing to most rock fans 'all about the music' attitudes. And the strength of the temptation to give in to addiction is notoriously extremely strong amongst rock stars, due to the pressures of fame and the boredom of not being on the road. We also felt that this would give us a lot of opportunities to make Mr Brownstone appear at extremely awkward times.
In making this project, we have several different options for dealing with the subject of drug addiction. We can show the darker side of being a famous rock band, and spread a message promoting the music over the drugs, and we could even almost parody it, making it a lighter form of entertainment, in a way mocking the stereotype.
Song Idea #3- Guns N Roses
Song: Mr Brownstone
Artist: Guns N Roses
This song was written by GNR band members Slash and Izzy Stradlin about a regular day in their existence as decadent rock star junkies, 'Brownstone' being a euphamism for heroin. If we were to choose this song to make our music video, we would juxtapose a narrative with performance. We would act as the band once again, this time dressed as something of a middle ground between the traditional decadent, menacing heavy metal look and the outrageous Glam rock image, and act out the key live moves such as the 'windmill' and the 'duck walk'. we would couple this with a narrative, showing how they try to resist their addiction, or 'Mr Brownstone' who will appear throughout the video in human form as a symbol of temptation. This would be a good video to do as it appeals to the typical theme of music videos for rock bands which deal with controversial subjects (drugs, violence etc.), and almost seem to unintentionally pass them off as 'cool'. We would appeal to the genre conventions of a rock video by making the band seem powerful, but the character of Mr Brownstone even more powerful.
Editing would not be difficult for this song as it is not a horrifically fast song, but fast enough to be exciting to viewers.
Artist: Guns N Roses
This song was written by GNR band members Slash and Izzy Stradlin about a regular day in their existence as decadent rock star junkies, 'Brownstone' being a euphamism for heroin. If we were to choose this song to make our music video, we would juxtapose a narrative with performance. We would act as the band once again, this time dressed as something of a middle ground between the traditional decadent, menacing heavy metal look and the outrageous Glam rock image, and act out the key live moves such as the 'windmill' and the 'duck walk'. we would couple this with a narrative, showing how they try to resist their addiction, or 'Mr Brownstone' who will appear throughout the video in human form as a symbol of temptation. This would be a good video to do as it appeals to the typical theme of music videos for rock bands which deal with controversial subjects (drugs, violence etc.), and almost seem to unintentionally pass them off as 'cool'. We would appeal to the genre conventions of a rock video by making the band seem powerful, but the character of Mr Brownstone even more powerful.
Editing would not be difficult for this song as it is not a horrifically fast song, but fast enough to be exciting to viewers.
Song Idea #2- Black Sabbath
Song: Iron Man
Artist: Black Sabbath
By choosing Iron Man we could produce a video which shows elements of performance, narrative and concept, all of which intertwine at points. Narrative and concept are the closest of the 3. Driven by the lyrics, the video would follow an 'Iron Man' (one of us dressed to look like a man made of metal), and how he tries to fit in with everyday life and society but he is turned away because he is different and nobody understands him.
The Performance would show us as a heavy metal band, dressed presumably in black, and with lots headbanging and aggression, and a focus on being evil due to genre convention. The narrative and concept would mix half way through the song, with the Iron Man finding acceptance finally in the metal band, he would be shown playing the guitar solo, symbolising his triumph. we would then inter-cut shots of the band with similar shots only this time with the entire band dressed as an Iron Man, emphasising his acceptance. shots of the band would be long shots and some low angles, but that would change to a lot closer ones once the lyrics shift in Iron Man's favour.
Similarly, Iron Man would need to be presented as weak and oppressed through high angles and framing at the start of the song, but this would shift to higher angles once he needs to be shown as empowered. Editing on the beat should be easy enough as the song is not that fast, but still maintains its traditional heavy rock sound.
Artist: Black Sabbath
By choosing Iron Man we could produce a video which shows elements of performance, narrative and concept, all of which intertwine at points. Narrative and concept are the closest of the 3. Driven by the lyrics, the video would follow an 'Iron Man' (one of us dressed to look like a man made of metal), and how he tries to fit in with everyday life and society but he is turned away because he is different and nobody understands him.
The Performance would show us as a heavy metal band, dressed presumably in black, and with lots headbanging and aggression, and a focus on being evil due to genre convention. The narrative and concept would mix half way through the song, with the Iron Man finding acceptance finally in the metal band, he would be shown playing the guitar solo, symbolising his triumph. we would then inter-cut shots of the band with similar shots only this time with the entire band dressed as an Iron Man, emphasising his acceptance. shots of the band would be long shots and some low angles, but that would change to a lot closer ones once the lyrics shift in Iron Man's favour.
Similarly, Iron Man would need to be presented as weak and oppressed through high angles and framing at the start of the song, but this would shift to higher angles once he needs to be shown as empowered. Editing on the beat should be easy enough as the song is not that fast, but still maintains its traditional heavy rock sound.
Song Idea #1- Steel Panther
Song: Eyes of a Panther
Artist: Steel Panther
Steel Panther are a comedy-rock band who parody the rock music produced by the 'Glam' and 'Hair' Metal bands of the 1980s, and ironically celebrate over-the-top excessiveness of the infamous Sunset Strip on Hollywood Boulevard. We hoped to represent this kind of feel by using this song for our music video project. Such a video would require a large amount of performance, which would involve us all dressing as ridiculously stereotypical rock stars, lots of make up, big hair and spandex, and performing all of the classic rock star moves such as 'the windmill' and the 'duck walk'.
Together with this, we would include mock 'backstage footage' of the band indulging in typical past times and activities such as signing autographs, walking around with a large entourage, and writing new songs.
We would have to use lots of male gaze, as it applies to genre convention, and lots of low angle shots of the band, to highlight their superiority and status. Editing would be somewhat difficult as the song is so fast, yet it is not impossible.
Artist: Steel Panther
Steel Panther are a comedy-rock band who parody the rock music produced by the 'Glam' and 'Hair' Metal bands of the 1980s, and ironically celebrate over-the-top excessiveness of the infamous Sunset Strip on Hollywood Boulevard. We hoped to represent this kind of feel by using this song for our music video project. Such a video would require a large amount of performance, which would involve us all dressing as ridiculously stereotypical rock stars, lots of make up, big hair and spandex, and performing all of the classic rock star moves such as 'the windmill' and the 'duck walk'.
Together with this, we would include mock 'backstage footage' of the band indulging in typical past times and activities such as signing autographs, walking around with a large entourage, and writing new songs.
We would have to use lots of male gaze, as it applies to genre convention, and lots of low angle shots of the band, to highlight their superiority and status. Editing would be somewhat difficult as the song is so fast, yet it is not impossible.
Sunday, 19 September 2010
Friday, 17 September 2010
Idea for music video (cartoon)
a short video i made, showing an idea, that we could use in our music video
starring LUKE!
by Paul Birchmore
Thursday, 16 September 2010
King of Rock - Run DMC
The music video for the song "King of Rock" by the group Run DMC uses many conventions that are common in the music video genre. The video can be seen as being all of the three genres of music videos at the same time. The video has a loose and basic narrative, that the group are not considered "rock" enough to enter a rock history museum. Regardless of the security guard telling them this, the trio break into the museum and, through the song, try to explain and prove that they should be considered the "king of rock". This also links to the concept that black rap artists are usually stereotyped as not liking and not belonging in the traditionally white genre of rock music, and Run DMC believe this is an unfair generalisation and rap artists should be allowed to converge with rock music if they desire. Run DMC created the genre of "rap rock" and this concept conforms with the bands style and image. The video also fits into the performance genre, as the duo lip sync with a band performing at certain points in the video. The video also follows the lyrics at points and fits in with the set of a rock musician. An example of this is the lyric "there's three of us, but we're not the Beatles", at which point the group moves next to a model of the Beatles and put a hat over the model that resembles John Lennon. The song was released in 1985, meaning that John Lennon was shot three years previously so that, when the song was released, there were only three members of the Beatles alive. One scene in the video shows the front duo of the group standing next to a small TV, watching a video performance of Little Richard, a traditional black artist. The small TV connotes that the group think they are bigger and better than previous black artists before them, further shown by the duo shaking their heads at the camera before pulling the plug on the TV, showing their disapproval and that Little Richard does not belong in the museum. The band then plug in another TV with themselves performing on it, turning and nodding at the camera, displaying their approval and belonging in the museum. At the end of the video, it is seen that the band have painted their name and the song title in red on the plain white walls of the museum. This can be seen to mean several things. It symbolises how the band have forever left their mark on, not only the museum, but on the rock genre. The red paint contrasts with the white walls, connoting how the band are changing the rock genre and making it vibrant. Finally, the scene is an example of intertextuality as it references a similar scene from the film "The Shining".
Run DMC's record label won't allow the embedding of the actual music video, but here is the song.
Run DMC's record label won't allow the embedding of the actual music video, but here is the song.
You shook me ...
The music video I have decided to analyse is the AC/DC track “You Shook Me All Night Long”. The video is in fact the second of two videos made for this song. The first was similar to other AC/DC tracks and was directed by Eric Dionysius and Eric Mistler. But six years later David Mallet worked with the Rock Legends and made a new video based around Brian Johnson’s home town, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, in 1986.
The video is one of the more controversial videos of AC/DC as it contains many leather clad women and even one ex page 3 model. The aim of the video was to be more controversial than the band had ever been before.
The women in the video are all wearing black, which symbolises impurity and mischievous manners.
The video is very lyrically driven as they are what really feeds us the narrative. “she told me to come but I was already there” Now this can be taken in two very different ways, of course the literal meaning of the woman told him to come round, but he was so eager to be with her, he was already at her house. But there is also the more smutty meaning, which I’m sure we can all see for ourselves without further explaining.
It was conventional as it had elements of performance and narrative and even a tad of conceptualism in the video, which all make a fantastic video.
As I mentioned earlier the industry hadn’t yet experienced many videos with a sexual nature at this moment in time so this video was shall we say a bit of a shock to the system but also influenced many bands and performers into using the predominant male gaze tool to attract men to watch their videos.
The narrative section of the music video is in black and white, which can represent the fact the band are still the same and haven’t changed just because they have different and new video, and also to make it clear that it’s the narrative and the performance is in colour, where they really bring the song to life.
Matthew Allen
Short film ideas - Anger
Narrative
A man walks around town. From his point of view he is speaking and acting normally, from the others around him he is shouting and behaving more aggressive than usual. People act strangely towards him in normal day situations (e.g. going to a shop, asking an elderly woman if she needs help crossing the road), repeatedly telling him to calm down. Not understanding why he is being told this, his anger continuously grows, until he ends up in a rage. Upon his return home, his wife tells him how laid back and calm he is being that day, causing him to punch her in the face.
This is effective as the audience is unaware which perception is true, the protagonist's or the others around him. It also allows us to experiment with the different perceptions of the man i.e. the man believes he is wearing a normal suit, others believe he is wearing something very strange.
Abstract
Starts with a man getting fired from work by his boss, then goes on an angry walk. During this walk, everything he sees (posters, people, dogs, babies) has the same face as his boss, causing his anger to increase as the walk continues. At the end of the walk, his boss comes to find him, telling him that it was a mistake to fire him and offers his job back. There are two possible outcomes to this scenario, him either taking or rejecting the job offer, and, as this is only a concept, we are unsure which option he will take
Montage
Several inanimate objects, such as lampposts and phone booths, shout random and unprovoked abuse at random passers by. The people being shouted at are confused at who is doing it and start blaming and accusing the other people around them, causing brawls in the street.
We feel that this concept is probably our most original and unique of the three.
A man walks around town. From his point of view he is speaking and acting normally, from the others around him he is shouting and behaving more aggressive than usual. People act strangely towards him in normal day situations (e.g. going to a shop, asking an elderly woman if she needs help crossing the road), repeatedly telling him to calm down. Not understanding why he is being told this, his anger continuously grows, until he ends up in a rage. Upon his return home, his wife tells him how laid back and calm he is being that day, causing him to punch her in the face.
This is effective as the audience is unaware which perception is true, the protagonist's or the others around him. It also allows us to experiment with the different perceptions of the man i.e. the man believes he is wearing a normal suit, others believe he is wearing something very strange.
Abstract
Starts with a man getting fired from work by his boss, then goes on an angry walk. During this walk, everything he sees (posters, people, dogs, babies) has the same face as his boss, causing his anger to increase as the walk continues. At the end of the walk, his boss comes to find him, telling him that it was a mistake to fire him and offers his job back. There are two possible outcomes to this scenario, him either taking or rejecting the job offer, and, as this is only a concept, we are unsure which option he will take
Montage
Several inanimate objects, such as lampposts and phone booths, shout random and unprovoked abuse at random passers by. The people being shouted at are confused at who is doing it and start blaming and accusing the other people around them, causing brawls in the street.
We feel that this concept is probably our most original and unique of the three.
Wednesday, 15 September 2010
Music video analysis #2: Papa Roach
Scars- Papa Roach
Scars was released in 2005, acting as the band’s comeback single, it also became the bands biggest hit, peaking at #15 in the U.S. The song deals with getting tired of trying to fix everyone else's problems, but having a hard time because you care so much. You can't stop caring, so you tear yourself open for the people you care about, and then ‘heal’ to prepare for the next time you have to do it. And then, at one point you still care, but you just can't do it anymore. You have to tell them, "You fix yourself”.
There are two videos that have been released for this song. One of the videos tells the story of the singer’s girlfriend who is always drunk. She ends up getting too drunk and passes out at a party at his house. She wakes up the following morning and grabs her coat, knocking a candle onto a mat stained with alcohol, consequently setting the house on fire. The singer then returns home later in the video to find his house burnt down.
The video I am analyzing however is the original video that the band were not pleased with, therefore they re-shot, creating the one mentioned above. In the original video, all of the scenes are computer generated, with the band and other actors superimposed into them. The video is shot almost entirely in a black and white, in a surreal, fictional world. In this video the protagonist tries to help his girlfriend, who keeps using him to her advantage. Until the end, when the man realsies his mistakes and overcomes his problems.
The video contains a narrative story as well as performance based, shots, making it a combination of the two. During the video only particular focus features can be seen in colour, during the narrative storyline. The red thread, the protagonist uses to sew himself up with, is particularly effective as it attracts the audience’s attention as it is key connector between the lyrics and video, which can be seen when the lyrics, “I tear my heart open, I sew myself shut” are heard.
“My scars remind me that the past is real , I tear my heart open just to feel", these lyrics are also incorporated in the song at numerous occasions, emphasising the video on screen.
The constant use of CGI is also extremely effective as it increases the surrealism in the video, such as the doors, ‘protecting’ the characters hearts, the falling clocks and multiplication of the protagonist as well as the location, where the band are ‘performing’, allowing the audience to empathise with the ‘victim’ (protagonist) as his thoughts are project to them.
Paul Birchmore
Scars was released in 2005, acting as the band’s comeback single, it also became the bands biggest hit, peaking at #15 in the U.S. The song deals with getting tired of trying to fix everyone else's problems, but having a hard time because you care so much. You can't stop caring, so you tear yourself open for the people you care about, and then ‘heal’ to prepare for the next time you have to do it. And then, at one point you still care, but you just can't do it anymore. You have to tell them, "You fix yourself”.
There are two videos that have been released for this song. One of the videos tells the story of the singer’s girlfriend who is always drunk. She ends up getting too drunk and passes out at a party at his house. She wakes up the following morning and grabs her coat, knocking a candle onto a mat stained with alcohol, consequently setting the house on fire. The singer then returns home later in the video to find his house burnt down.
The video I am analyzing however is the original video that the band were not pleased with, therefore they re-shot, creating the one mentioned above. In the original video, all of the scenes are computer generated, with the band and other actors superimposed into them. The video is shot almost entirely in a black and white, in a surreal, fictional world. In this video the protagonist tries to help his girlfriend, who keeps using him to her advantage. Until the end, when the man realsies his mistakes and overcomes his problems.
The video contains a narrative story as well as performance based, shots, making it a combination of the two. During the video only particular focus features can be seen in colour, during the narrative storyline. The red thread, the protagonist uses to sew himself up with, is particularly effective as it attracts the audience’s attention as it is key connector between the lyrics and video, which can be seen when the lyrics, “I tear my heart open, I sew myself shut” are heard.
“My scars remind me that the past is real , I tear my heart open just to feel", these lyrics are also incorporated in the song at numerous occasions, emphasising the video on screen.
The constant use of CGI is also extremely effective as it increases the surrealism in the video, such as the doors, ‘protecting’ the characters hearts, the falling clocks and multiplication of the protagonist as well as the location, where the band are ‘performing’, allowing the audience to empathise with the ‘victim’ (protagonist) as his thoughts are project to them.
Paul Birchmore
Stop-motion Pete
At the end of last year, we began to experiment with stop-motion animation. James (the one that is no longer with us) and I decided to replicate Pete Townshend's infamous guitar windmill, due to us being fans. It was a quick, single lesson project and gave us an insight into creating stop-motion animation. It also gave us an indication of how long and painstaking creating stop-motion animation is.
And here's the man and the action that acted as our inspiration. I like to think that we replicated it perfectly...
Adam Riza
And here's the man and the action that acted as our inspiration. I like to think that we replicated it perfectly...
Adam Riza
The producers at Colonel Paul have been working extremely hard recently as the start of their new project is about to take off. They have been set the task of producing a music video unlike any other which must be both original and innovating. It is rumored that the project, aptly titled "Honey Badger", is still in the process of selecting a song for the music video. It is likely that the shortlist of songs will be up shortly.
Be prepared to be blown away.. Yet again.
Matthew Allen
Be prepared to be blown away.. Yet again.
Matthew Allen
Synopsis and Summary of 'Nocturne'
The scene begins with a young boy peacefully sleeping in his bed when he is suddenly awoken by a loud crash, eyes open wide. He startles and gets up. Turns on his light. Sees his piggy bank all over the floor, he sees his window is open, with wind blowing the curtain, thinking it was that he shuts the window and clears away the money and returns to bed. What he doesn’t see was a shadow moving in the background, his shadow, but with a mind of his own. He sneaks off screen just as the young boy turns off the light and we can no longer see the shadow. The boy returns back to sleep and closes his eyes, but within 5 seconds there is an even louder crash, this time the boy is frightened, and pulls himself under his cover. There are further crashes and bangs, and thuds, boy stays under until it is all finished. He gathers the courage to sneak out of his covers, but he doesn’t turn on the light, he appears round his room, treading carefully.
Objects look totally different to what they should be and the boys imagination runs wild. Turns light on and everything seems to calm down. Turns off again and everything goes mental, every is banging, knocking, loud thumps, bit of screaming. The boy starts to weep as he cowers in corner/floor. Creaks are heard coming up the door. Builds up nicely, then the door slowly opens, then the door opens, all you can see is a shadow, the boy shrieks, the mans father smiles as he turns the light on.
Objects look totally different to what they should be and the boys imagination runs wild. Turns light on and everything seems to calm down. Turns off again and everything goes mental, every is banging, knocking, loud thumps, bit of screaming. The boy starts to weep as he cowers in corner/floor. Creaks are heard coming up the door. Builds up nicely, then the door slowly opens, then the door opens, all you can see is a shadow, the boy shrieks, the mans father smiles as he turns the light on.
'Nocturne' Short Film Project
In class we were given the title 'Nocturne', and had to come up with an idea for a short film, based purely on the title and its connotations. This task was also given to successful director of modern films such as 'Antichrist' (2010), Lars von Trier whilst he was attending film school in Denmark in the late 70s- early 80s. We were not shown von Trier's version of the film until each group had pitched their respective ideas back to the class, as we could observe how different or similar each film pitch would be, and as it would influence our ideas for the title.
Our task was to construct a basic synopsis, storyboard, possible soundtrack and poster for the film, as well as to write the opening paragraph of a magazine review.
By ..................
Our task was to construct a basic synopsis, storyboard, possible soundtrack and poster for the film, as well as to write the opening paragraph of a magazine review.
By ..................
 |
| This is the poster for this short film. i created it on paint, using my younger brother Luke as the protagonist. Paul Birchmore |
Music Video Analysis #1: Pink Floyd
Analysis of 'Another Brick In The Wall part 2' by Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd’s album ‘The Wall’, released in 1980 on EMI records is a concept album telling the tale of a character named ‘Pink’ who traps himself inside a wall to protect himself from the pain of the outside world. The album is somewhat autobiographical of the life of the band’s bassist Roger Waters, who like Pink, lost his father to the Second World War and was bullied and oppressed by his school teachers. The album’s lead single, ‘Another Brick in the Wall part 2’, is a totally narrative and conceptual music video, directed by Alan Parker, and follows his experience at school, and the uprising of the children against the wicked control of the teachers in the context of a post-war world in the onslaught of the Cold War, where fear of totalitarianism was rife. The video uses micro elements to deal with themes such as oppression and restriction of individuality and freedom, and was made famous through the bands inclusion of a group of school children singing the song’s immortal chants of rebellion.
The video’s opening shot is a mid-shot of the main character standing in darkness standing up against the wall staring at the plastic faces of the school children under control, who can be seen in a low angled shot, suggesting that the young boy is in a position of great vulnerability. His position in the shot could also be seen as him ‘having his back against the wall’, as the oppressive teachers have him pinned and restrained in the darkness of their authoritarianism. As the lyrics describe how the teachers would “hurt the children in any way they could...” we see an establishing shot in the staff room featuring all of the teachers, all of whom are old, and so could represent old fashioned, more repressed values in contrast to the freedom and imagination of childhood, which the band empathise with more. Another way in which the lyrics drive the video is just after “exposing every weakness” when the teacher humiliates the boy for writing songs, suggesting that expression of feelings is seen as weakness in the eyes of the teacher’s regime. The teacher laughs at him and denounces his creativity and individuality, calling it “absolute rubbish”. The teacher goes on to order his pupils to repeat after him, which presents him as a dictator controlling his subjects, making them all the same as they speak in unison, another hint at the dangers of indoctrination and totalitarianism.
As the music builds up to a crescendo, we see flashes of the teacher beating the kids, until the main verse of “We don’t need no education...” comes in, shifting the video towards the children, who we see marching together, reflecting the unity of the lyrics. The camera then pans along to see them marching through a wall, which is symbolic of the restriction they are all facing, then they all emerge, all with plastic, emotionless faces, on a production line. This image of the assembly line of perfect, controllable children reflects the fear at the time of the idea of a master race and/or the spread of communism. The second verse starts with a long shot showing rows of children all singing along to the lyrics, presenting a strong, united front. This juxtaposed with the intercut clips of the teacher barking orders marks a progression in the video as the children are beginning to rebel and refuse to be controlled.
Another progression is shown when the kids are shown breaking free from their oppressors, as they rip off their plastic masks and start trashing the school. Their revolution begins just as the guitar solo comes in, which is symbolic, as the guitar solo can be seen as the part of the song where the guitarist can break free from the regularity of the song and express his own individuality. The shot shows the young boy waking up from his day dream, in a close up which shows him sadly realising that his vision of freedom in an uprising like that couldn’t actually happen, so he looks down, hiding his emotions from the camera, bottling up his feelings so nobody can see the real him, referring back to the concept of the entire album.
The director Alan Parker employs the micro elements and uses the song’s lyrics to drive the video, and present Pink Floyd’s ideas of revolution, breaking free from authoritarianism, and embracing the creativity and individuality of the imagination, particularly that of a child to fans.
James Hanman
Pink Floyd’s album ‘The Wall’, released in 1980 on EMI records is a concept album telling the tale of a character named ‘Pink’ who traps himself inside a wall to protect himself from the pain of the outside world. The album is somewhat autobiographical of the life of the band’s bassist Roger Waters, who like Pink, lost his father to the Second World War and was bullied and oppressed by his school teachers. The album’s lead single, ‘Another Brick in the Wall part 2’, is a totally narrative and conceptual music video, directed by Alan Parker, and follows his experience at school, and the uprising of the children against the wicked control of the teachers in the context of a post-war world in the onslaught of the Cold War, where fear of totalitarianism was rife. The video uses micro elements to deal with themes such as oppression and restriction of individuality and freedom, and was made famous through the bands inclusion of a group of school children singing the song’s immortal chants of rebellion.
The video’s opening shot is a mid-shot of the main character standing in darkness standing up against the wall staring at the plastic faces of the school children under control, who can be seen in a low angled shot, suggesting that the young boy is in a position of great vulnerability. His position in the shot could also be seen as him ‘having his back against the wall’, as the oppressive teachers have him pinned and restrained in the darkness of their authoritarianism. As the lyrics describe how the teachers would “hurt the children in any way they could...” we see an establishing shot in the staff room featuring all of the teachers, all of whom are old, and so could represent old fashioned, more repressed values in contrast to the freedom and imagination of childhood, which the band empathise with more. Another way in which the lyrics drive the video is just after “exposing every weakness” when the teacher humiliates the boy for writing songs, suggesting that expression of feelings is seen as weakness in the eyes of the teacher’s regime. The teacher laughs at him and denounces his creativity and individuality, calling it “absolute rubbish”. The teacher goes on to order his pupils to repeat after him, which presents him as a dictator controlling his subjects, making them all the same as they speak in unison, another hint at the dangers of indoctrination and totalitarianism.
As the music builds up to a crescendo, we see flashes of the teacher beating the kids, until the main verse of “We don’t need no education...” comes in, shifting the video towards the children, who we see marching together, reflecting the unity of the lyrics. The camera then pans along to see them marching through a wall, which is symbolic of the restriction they are all facing, then they all emerge, all with plastic, emotionless faces, on a production line. This image of the assembly line of perfect, controllable children reflects the fear at the time of the idea of a master race and/or the spread of communism. The second verse starts with a long shot showing rows of children all singing along to the lyrics, presenting a strong, united front. This juxtaposed with the intercut clips of the teacher barking orders marks a progression in the video as the children are beginning to rebel and refuse to be controlled.
Another progression is shown when the kids are shown breaking free from their oppressors, as they rip off their plastic masks and start trashing the school. Their revolution begins just as the guitar solo comes in, which is symbolic, as the guitar solo can be seen as the part of the song where the guitarist can break free from the regularity of the song and express his own individuality. The shot shows the young boy waking up from his day dream, in a close up which shows him sadly realising that his vision of freedom in an uprising like that couldn’t actually happen, so he looks down, hiding his emotions from the camera, bottling up his feelings so nobody can see the real him, referring back to the concept of the entire album.
The director Alan Parker employs the micro elements and uses the song’s lyrics to drive the video, and present Pink Floyd’s ideas of revolution, breaking free from authoritarianism, and embracing the creativity and individuality of the imagination, particularly that of a child to fans.
James Hanman
Friday, 3 September 2010
Greetings from Colonel Paul
In this project, we have been given the task of creating either a short film or music video. This blog will be used to record our progress, presenting, what we did to create our finished video.
James Paul Matt Adam
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